The Adventures of Team Idjit
by Yimiki
Summary: A tale of brave heroics, plot intrigue, and utter stupidity. Or: what happens if you throw five idiots together into a party and set them loose on the world? Mayhem. Mayhem is what happens.
1. Prologue

**Prologue – unwilling cellmates**

* * *

Morning in the coast city of Neverwinter was not proving to be kind to Nala Fennorae. Having spent the previous evening – and the entire night - in the Shamrock tavern, drinking whatever she could get her paws on, the gold-skinned Dragonborn Paladin awoke to a pounding headache coursing through her skull. She found herself on the same table that she had collapsed on earlier. Not a good idea. Her neck hurt, and as Nala slowly got up from the table and stretched her limbs, she could feel herself getting woozy.

'Air. Need fresh air.'

Clumsily, the Dragonborn stood up and waddled to the front door. As she opened it, a bright ray of light pierced her eyes and Nala quickly brought up her hand to shield herself. Right. The light was hurting. That meant that she had drank at least... too much.

As the gold-skinned Paladin grabbed hold of the tavern wall for support, her thoughts dwelled back to the previous night. Her intention had been to gather intel. As much as she could, about a shady figure that had been spotted around town lately. Gathering intel had turned into drinking ale in order to blend in. That had quickly turned into drinking ale for real. And that... well, that ended as usual. With the street shifting under Nala's unsteady feet, and a pounding headache.

'Come on. Walk it off. You're a Paladin, for crying out loud.'

Slowly, the Dragonborn started to walk. The fresh air did help. She was still waddling across the street, mind you, but she was moving. Her head started to clear up a little bit. Enough to become vaguely aware of her surroundings- including a dark, cloaked figure in the alley next to her, disappearing around the corner. Nala's mind instantly sprang back to the reason that she was there in the first place. Was that him? That could very well be him. The Paladin was in doubt only for a split second, after which she decided to follow the figure.

Nala ducked into the alleyway, trying very hard (and failing) not to bump her head on the low roofs around here. The figure was already on the other end, turning right at another corner. She had to speed up, or Nala would lose her. Sluggishly, dragging her still hungover feet, the Dragonborn fell into a jog, closing more distance, turning the corner-

'Why are you following me?!'

She heard the voice before she saw its owner. As Nala blinked furiously to gain sharper vision, the outlines of the person that she had been tailing became clear. She was standing inches away from the Dragonborn, right up in her face. A thick, hairless tail with spikes on the end swished through the air. Two large horns protruded from her forehead, curving back slightly over hair so dark it gave off a blue shine. One horn had a silvery ring wedged around it. It was a Tiefling, and she seemed to be rather pissed off. As she stared the Dragonborn down, Nala noticed that there were no pupils or irises in her eyes. They were grey all over.

'Let me repeat the question,' the Tiefling said, as Nala remained silent. 'Why. Are. You. Following. Me?'

Not who Nala was looking for, then.

'I'm not,' the Dragonborn quickly said, attempting to improvise. 'I, uh, need to ask you some questions.'

A momentary silence fell, and Nala could see the Tiefling sizing her up suspiciously. She realized why – Tieflings were generally a very mistrusted race, and Nala was a Paladin. She probably expected the Dragonborn to try and arrest her.

'What kind of questions?'

'I'm just gathering some information. Have you seen a shady figure skulking around lately?'

For a second, the Tiefling just looked at her, frowning. Then the frown disappeared and was instantly replaced by a broad, if somewhat strange-looking, smile.

'No, darling. To tell you the truth, I'm a newcomer in this city. I haven't been here long enough to notice anything. I _have_ been looking for a good tavern, however. You seem like you know a few good ones. Mind sharing them with me?'

From the corner of her eye, Nala could see another person standing at the end of the alleyway. He was cloaked, and seemed to be chanting something. A priest? The Tiefling was still right up in her face, though, so she ignored the figure and replied to the Tiefling instead.

'Oh, yeah. The Shamrock is great. It's right over there, actually. You must have passed it on your way through. They have excellent ale.'

'I don't doubt that,' the Tiefling said, looking at Nala with a slight smirk on her face. 'Well then, if you don't mind, I'll be back on my-'

At that moment, the world around them went up in flames. A huge explosion sounded to their left, after which both Nala and the Tiefling were knocked off their feet. Pieces of stone and rubble were blown everywhere, hitting Nala in the face as she smashed into the nearest wall. She could feel blood trickling down her neck. If Nala had not been a fire dragon, she would have taken huge damage from the blast. Screams resounded in her ears as she slowly got back up, gazing upon the burning wreckage.

The scene in front of her was nothing less than an inferno. The building on their left had exploded from the inside, blasting the top straight off and sending a huge cloud of black smoke across the streets. Huge, orange flames engulfed what little was left of the structure. It looked like something taken straight out of a disaster painting.

What... had just happened?

Suddenly Nala could feel a hand on her arm. She turned to see the Tiefling, once again very close to her, but this time without the strange smirk on her face. Her sharp ears were folded back on her head, like a cat's, and she had a nervous look in her eyes.

'We need to leave. Now.'  
'Wait, what?' Nala reacted.  
'I said we need to get out of here!'  
'We can't leave! What if there's people in there? We need to help!'

'Think about how this looks, Paladin!' The Tiefling hissed. 'You're a fire-breathing dragon. I'm a Tiefling. And the building next to us just exploded. If guards come running, _and they will_ , who do you think they are going to blame?'

'We'll explain that it wasn't us!' Nala protested, taking a couple of steps towards the burning building. 'I'm a Paladin, they'll understand! We need to check for survivors!'

She could hear the Tiefling let out a curse, in a language that Nala did not understand. She moved away from the Dragonborn, attempting to vanish into the shadows, but it was already too late. As Nala moved towards the burning front door, a dozen city guards came running out of the surrounding smoke. They were all armed to the teeth and in full armour. The men took one look at the burning building, noticed Nala and the Tiefling, and instantly drew their weapons.

'HALT! Do not move, fiends!'

They did not wait for a response. In unison, the guards gathered around the two in a circle and aimed their swords at their throats. The Tiefling hissed. Any escape path had been cut off.

'It wasn't us!' Nala said, turning towards what seemed to be the guard in charge.

'And I'm supposed to believe that, Dragonborn?' The man said in a low voice. He had a small beard and his eyes were furious. 'Do you see anyone else here that could have blown up a building?!'

For a second, Nala was stunned into silence. Then she remembered- there had been someone else! She turned around to point at the other figure that she'd seen, but the street behind her was empty. There was no-one there.

'Bloody animals,' one of the guard growled. 'You're both under arrest!'

'How dare you!' The Tiefling suddenly sneered full of malice. 'Where is your evidence?!'  
'There's a building on fire right next to you, you bloody Tiefling! That's all the evidence we need!'

'Oh, because I'm a Tiefling, is that it? That explains everything, doesn't it?! This is one Tiefling that happens to know her rights and I _demand that you show me more evidence_ before taking us in like some rabid beasts!'

Her voice was so venomous and full of hate that some of the guards actually stepped back. But they also raised their swords even higher, and seemed to be seconds away from attacking outright. Nala quickly stepped in front of the Tiefling, digging in her pockets ('HANDS IN THE AIR!') and pulling out her seal for the Order of the Gauntlet – her proof of being a Paladin.

'She speaks the truth. I'm a Paladin, and I give you my word that we had nothing to do with this.'

The leader of the guards squinted his eyes, bending forward a little to take a better look at the seal. He frowned.

'You could have gotten that anywhere. What do you see us for, a bunch of imbeciles?'

'Oh come on, why would we blow up a building?' The Tiefling spoke to him. 'You're smarter than this, Think about it for a second. Why would we make city property explode and then just stand around for the guards to find us? If I really wanted to blow something up, I would frame somebody else for it. Make sure that it could not be traced back to me. I would not just wait right next to the crime until I got arrested!'

Mistrusted or not, the Tiefling had a point. The guards seemed to realize that, too, as some of them looked at their leader in confusion.

'Sir?'

'Look, I get that,' the guard leader responded, lowering his weapon a little. 'But we cannot rule you out as suspects, either. The best thing that you can do now to prove your innocence, is to go with us willingly. If you are innocent, you have nothing to fear, after all.'

'Tell that to the other "innocent" prisoners,' the Tiefling grumbled softly. Nala quickly gave her a elbow-poke to make her shut up. Then she threw her hands in the air, surrendering.

'All right. I am innocent of this crime, but I will yield myself to your authority. My Tiefling friend here will do the same.'

'I most definitely will n-'

'Will that be enough to show our cooperation?,' Nala asked, staring the Tiefling down. She huffed, then followed Nala's lead.

'Fine.'

'Good,' the guard nodded, seemingly relieved. 'I will let the warden know that you cooperated. Take them into custody, men.'

Their weapons were confiscated, and the Tiefling got her hands bound behind her back. They tried to do the same to Nala, but her wrists were too large to fit in the bindings. So they used a rope, like she was a piece of cattle. It was humiliating. Nala clenched her teeth and went along with it. The two were taken away, headed for the Neverwinter prison.

* * *

 _-About 30 minutes later-_

* * *

'Name?'  
'Nala Fennorae. Paladin,' Nala spoke.  
'Just your name is enough, dragon. Next.'

They had been escorted to the city prison, a dreary place with hardly any windows. The warden, an elderly-looking man with a bushy moustache, had insisted on placing restraints on the Tiefling's feet, too. She was looking all sorts of venomous now. Then he had taken them to another room, whipped out a piece of paper on a wooden board with a candle stuck to the top, and proceeded to write down their names.

'I said: next.'

'Why should I give you my name?' The Tiefling said defiantly.

'You give me no name, you get no trial assigned to you. You get no trial, you're never getting out of here.'

He looked at her over his wooden board for a moment, then spoke again.  
'Name.'  
'Ugh, fine. Angelica Dodecahedron.'

That was such a jumble of syllables that Nala was certain that the Tiefling had made it up on the spot. The warden seemed to be thinking the same thing, but did not comment.

'You two, line up there. You move somewhere else, you get the sword. You try to leave the room, you get the sword. You start a fight-'

'Let me guess. We get the sword?' Angelica said sarcastically. It earned her a cranky stare from the warden. They did as he ordered, and moved to the back of the room. Not long after, a door on their right opened and another guard came in, escorting three more prisoners. He was looking rather damaged, and very, very cranky.

'Where's Edward?' the warden asked him. The guard merely shook his head. With his free right hand, he shoved one of the prisoners to move along- a bound, rather scrawny-looking human male.

'Line up.'

The other three joined Nala and Angelica on the other side of the room. As soon as they were all lined up, the warden began to read from his sheet again.

'All right. Let's get on with it, then. Those two – charged with malefic destruction of city property using fire magic.'

A scoff from Angelica, as Nala glanced at the other prisoners that were lined up next to her. She seemed to be the tallest person there.

'That one –poaching on city property and resisting arrest. The deer has been confiscated as evidence.'

An elf with brown hair and green eyes scoffed and rolled with her eyes.

'Stupid humans.'

'Next one- unauthorized trafficking of illegal goods within the city. Confiscated goods include multiple dubious potions-'

'I told you, I was just trading!' The male wizard protested. 'There's nothing harmful about my goods, I swear! I demand to see your captain!'

'You'll see the captain at your trial,' the warden said, ignoring his pleas and moving on to the last person in lineup.

'This one- withholding information, resisting arrest, assault, battery and seriously injuring members of the city guard.'

Nala raised a single eyebrow as she looked down on the tiny, pale half-elf. She did not seem at all capable of the things that the guard just described. In fact, she was not paying attention at all, merely staring at the ceiling.  
'That all of them, boss?' the nearest guard asked the warden.  
'I believe so. Quiet day, today. Put them all back in the cells. We'll start the trials after that mess in town is taken care of.'  
'Yes, sir!'

Once again, a sword was pointed at Nala. It was starting to get old. The guard approached the row of people, gesturing with his head towards the nearest cell.  
'Come on, in! All o ye!'  
They did not have a choice. Like cattle, the group was herded into the cell, after which the guard locked the door behind them with a loud _click_. He left them there, and the room grew dark.

As the group of strangers looked at each other, an awkward silence fell. Nala had no idea what kind of people she was dealing with. They were prisoners- half of them could be real criminals. And to make matters worse, she was currently locked in a cell with them. With no place to go if one of them decided to attack.  
Then again, she was innocent of any crimes. Maybe that was the case with these people, too.

Carefully, she glanced at the newcomers. The green-eyed elf from before had moved all the way back to the wall, clearly separating herself from the rest of the crowd. An elegant, golden head ornament rested on her brown hair and forehead. If she'd been caught poaching, that probably meant that she was a ranger. She seemed to be your stereotypical elf – a loner, not keen on the company of other races.

Her gaze wandered. In the other corner, Angelica seemed to be looking for cracks in the wall. This one was definitely suspicious. If nothing else, she was at least not the one responsible for blowing up that particular building. Nala had encountered Tieflings before, but still she couldn't help but feel wary of this one. She just seemed… suspicious, and way too smooth of a talker.

Nala turned to look at the only male in the cell. He had auburn coloured hair and eyes, and a pale skin that indicated him probably being a scholarly type. He, too, seemed to be not too interested in interacting with the rest of the prison. Nala wasn't sure what to think of him. The Dragonborn made a mental shrug, and focused on the last prisoner in the cell.

And blinked a couple of times in confusion. The cell was dark, with no windows to shine light inside from- but for a second Nala was sure that the tiny half-elf was glowing. She shook her head – must still be hungover from all that ale. That had to be it. Too much ale and it was messing with her brain. Nala opened her eyes again, focusing a second time. She was the smallest one of the bunch, smaller even than the elf. Her skin was so pale it was almost snowy, and the grey hair made her almost completely colourless. Contradictive to the others, she was looking around the dreary cell with great interest.

'Is this the normal welcoming procedure in human territories?' she asked, still looking at the cell's bars. Angelica stopped searching for weak spots in the wall and snickered.  
'Of course not. We're prisoners, awaiting execution now.'  
'Trial,' Nala corrected the Tiefling.  
'For a Paladin, maybe. I'm not sure if the rest of us will be as fortunate. How long have you all been in here?' she asked, directing the question at the elf and the wizard. The elf looked up, her green eyes gleaming in the torchlight.  
'Two weeks.'  
'Two weeks?!' Nala replied, startled.  
'Yeah. I'm sure that that deer they "confiscated for evidence" has long been eaten by now. I wasn't even on their territory when I started hunting. It's not my fault that the deer decided to run here.'  
'Shouldn't have poached so close to the city boundaries, then,' the wizard shrugged. The elf threw him a dirty look. She was clearly not happy with his presence.  
That caught the attention of the tiny half-elf in the room. She glanced back and forth between them and then, to everyone's surprise, walked right over to the Tiefling and asked:  
'Do those two not like each other?'  
'You don't get out much, do you?' Angelica snickered. When the half-elf did not answer, she started to explain, in a loud voice and much to the chagrin of the two people in question.  
'You see, elves don't really like anyone that is not their own race. They're stuffy like that.'  
Listening to the conversation, Nala once again raised her eyebrows, wondering what kind of strange crew she had gotten herself involved with. The Dragonborn was seriously starting to regret her decision to go out for some fresh air. Add to that her failed information lead, the exploded building and their current predicament...

Yeah. She officially needed a drink.

'Can we leave now?' the pale half-elf suddenly asked, looking at the room behind the iron bars of the cell.  
'Good luck with that,' Angelica answered. 'The door is locked, there are no windows, and no weaknesses in the wall that we can exploit to blow the place up. For now, we're stuck here.'  
Ignoring Angelica, the half-elf strolled over to the door and inspected the lock. She turned to the wizard.  
'We could pour water into the keyhole and freeze it.'  
Nala honestly couldn't tell if the half-elf was being serious or sarcastic. At that point, the human wizard walked up to the door as well, shaking his head.  
'No. I will freeze the bars. Dragonborn- Nala. When I freeze them, use your paws to break them off.'  
'Freeze… the bars?'  
'Can you do it, or not?' the wizard spoke to Nala, ignoring the girl standing next to him. The gold-skinned dragonborn looked at him warily.  
'Maybe we should stay put, wizard. Breaking out of prison will not improve our chances of being proven innocent.'

He seemed to be in a terrible rush to get out. She wondered why. Nala found herself getting slightly more suspicious of the man. What had his crime been, again? Trafficking illegal goods?  
'What is your name?'  
'I am Alatar Vermillion, if you must know,' the wizard replied, freeing his hands from the wide sleeves of the cloak that he was wearing. 'And I am leaving this cell, with or without you.'  
Without warning, he suddenly raised his arms and targeted the cell bars. A blue ray of frost sprouted forth from his palms. They shot forward and made impact with the bars, freezing parts of them solid. A good chunk of it missed, though, slipping through the bars and spreading all over the far wall instead.  
'Help me out here, Dragonborn! It's too late to back out now!'  
Cursing under her breath, Nala trudged up to the frozen bars. She did not remember properly agreeing to help Alatar in the first place. In fact, her Paladin honour usually forbade blatant rebellion against the law such as this. But seeing how half the room was frozen over already, she might as well. Nala braced herself and grabbed hold of one of the frozen bars. Her hands started hurting almost immediately. Being a fireblood, she did not have much cold resistance and the icy bars felt very uncomfortable on her scales. She growled, gripped the bar tight and pulled. An awful metallic groan sounded. The bar she was holding bent back, stopped and then broke loose with a loud _clang_. Nala dropped it on the floor, eager to let go of the frozen bar.

At that very moment, the far door opened and one of the guards walked back in.  
'Good news! You'll be happy to know that someone paid… your…'  
He just fell silent, gazing at the scene in front of him. The ice smudges on the wall. The frozen bars. The broken piece that was lying on the ground and Nala's guilty face as she quickly tried to scuttle backwards. Alatar's look of complete indifference.

A short silence fell.

After which he shot the group a _very, very_ dirty look.

'You lot are lucky that someone paid your bail. If it were me, I'd leave you in here with the spiders and throw away the key.'  
'Did you just say that someone paid our bail?' Angelica asked, suddenly very interested. With the chains rattling around her ankles, she strolled up to the front of the cage. 'Who is it?'  
The guard took out a key, turned it in the lock of the cell and swung the door open.  
'Go see for yourselves. Out, all of you.'  
'Not so fast,' Alatar suddenly said, moving up to the front. 'I want my stuff back.'  
'All personal items, safe for your _illegal goods_ , will be returned upon exiting the prison,' the guard frowned. Apparently that was not the answer that Alatar wanted to hear. He walked up even further, getting right up in the guard's face. In a low voice, he growled:  
'That's not good enough. I want _all_ of my stuff back, you hear? _All. Of. It._ "  
As Nala was standing behind the wizard, she could not see what he was doing. But the guard did. He reflexively took a step backwards and started to stammer:  
'E-e-easy now! I'll s-see what I can do. Now leave, please!'  
'That's more like it,' Alatar said, seemingly content. He stepped outside, not waiting for the rest of the group to follow suit. They scrambled out after him.

As soon as the group reached the main prison hall, they saw two people: a densely built dwarf with a bushy beard and a tall human with ash-coloured hair. Both were in full armour, and were looking at the group of ragtag prisoners with great interest.

'Ah! You lot look like you'll do nicely,' the human spoke in a content voice. His dwarven companion nodded. The human continued:  
'Nice to meet you, adventurers! My name is Sildar Hallwinter. And this is my companion, Gundrin Rockseeker.'  
'Why did you pay our bail, human?' the brown-haired elf asked immediately, skipping any pleasantries. 'I don't know either of you.'  
The dwarf laughed. He had small dimples on his cheeks, and his eyes were lively and alert.  
'Cutting right to the chase, I see! That's rare for an elf. I like this one, Sildar.'  
'We'll cut right to the chase, too, then,' Sildar nodded. He sized the group up and down, visibly stopping on Nala and Angelica for a moment. Then he spoke again, picking up where he left off.  
'We have a job for you. And we think it's in your best interest to take it, prisoners.'

He put a heavy emphasis on that last word. Nala stiffened at the unspoken threat behind it.

'What kind of job?' Angelica asked. Her tail was swishing back and forth behind her body and she was looking at the pair with interest.  
'It's quite simple. We have a wagon full of supplies that needs to be escorted to Phandalin. The roads are not entirely safe lately, so we need a group of capable adventurers like yourselves to guard our goods. Nothing too dangerous, mind you - just a couple of bandits and the like. Nothing that your numbers can't handle.'  
'And in return?' Angelica asked with gleaming eyes.  
'In return for yer services,' Gundrin added, 'we will assure yer freedom. All charges against ye will be dropped and ye will be free to go. We'll even add in a reward! Ten gold pieces and yer freedom in return for a wagon safely delivered to Phandalin.  
What do y'all say?'

Nala looked at the rest of the group. The elf and half-elf seemed to be slightly wary, but Alatar and Angelica were not. Especially the wizard- as he spoke up, Nala could see the unmistakable greed in his eyes.  
'I think you could raise that price a little bit,' he spoke confidently.  
'I agree,' Angelica nodded. 'It sounds like we'll be placing our necks on the line for you. My neck happens to be worth a little more than a measly ten gold pieces.'  
That might have worked, if not for Alatar adding:  
'Who says I have to do this job for you, anyway? You already paid my bail. I'm home free. What's stopping me from simply walking out of here?'

At that point, the eyes of the dwarf grew dark. From behind his beard he growled, in a much lower tone than before:  
'Either ye deliver those supplies for us and earn yer freedom, or those guards behind ye take ye right back to yer cell and erase yer name from the trial board. And trust me. Ye do not want to have yer name erased from the trial board.'

As he said that, the guards flanking them once again reached for their weapons. As the group was still unarmed and without armour protection, getting into a fight here would be a bad idea. It appeared that they had little choice in the matter.

'All right. We will help you,' the brown-haired elf suddenly said. Alatar turned to her in disbelief, to which she simply shrugged.  
'They have paid for our release. We are in their debt. We shall escort that wagon to Phandalin, after which we can all be on our way.'  
'With ten extra gold coins,' Angelica added. The elf nodded once.  
'With ten extra gold coins.'  
'What's yer name, lass?' the dwarf asked, sizing the elf up and down with interest.  
'Mialee. Mialee Naïlo.'  
'Can we call you Mia?' the pale half-elf asked with a smile. Mialee shot her a single, venomous look.  
'No.'  
Alatar and Angelica let out a snicker. The dwarf ignored both of them and kept looking at Mialee.  
'That's settled, then! Now we'll be ridin' ahead of ye to Phandalin. It should only take a couple o' days to get there. Ye'll get the money upon safely arriving in Phandalin with the wagon.'

That seemed to be the end of the conversation. As Gundrin turned around to leave, Nala quickly stepped forward.

'Wait! When do we leave?'  
Sildar let out a smile.  
'Now. Good luck.'


	2. Chapter 1,1 - On-road shenanigans

**Chapter 1 – Goblin ambushes and on-road shenanigans**

* * *

Two days later, the group found themselves on the road, in the middle of the wilderness. Their wagon, being pulled by two oxes, was not much more than a glorified cart. It had a white cover on the top, shielding the cargo (and passengers) from most of the weather. As not everyone fit in there at the same time, both Nala and Mialee walked beside the vehicle, guarding it and keeping an eye out for trouble. Alatar was in the back with Angelica, temporarily out of sight.

At the driver's seat sat a young man: red-haired, freckled, barely an adult and clearly nervous to be here. His name was Meek, and he had been instructed by Gundrin and Sildar to drive the wagon to Phandalin, allowing the band of hirelings to focus completely on guarding its contents.

Not that they were actually doing that, of course.

'Meek, right?' the pale half-elf said, looking at him with interest from her spot at the front of the wagon. Head cocked slightly, her grey eyes seemed to soak up the pale sunlight. 'Do you transport goods like this often?'

The young man turned slightly red at the attention suddenly turned towards him.

'N-no, m'am. I, eh, I've never actually left the city. B-but I'm pretty good with a sword, I'll have you know!' he added quickly, noticing how that first sentence had sounded. 'I've just never used it… outside the city walls before.'

'You have never been outside?' she reacted. Next to the wagon, Nala listened in to the conversation. When Meek shook his head, a tiny smile appeared on the half-elf's face.

'What a coincidence. I have never been inside.'

Instantly, his face turned beet red. Meek let out a very awkward chuckle, looking anywhere but at the elf.

'Heh… heh-heh-heh… _girl_.'

'Speaking of which, you haven't introduced yourself yet,' Nala spoke from the side. Her heavy armor was making quite a lot of noise; a heavy _clang, clang_ as deep footsteps were left in the dirt. 'What did you say your name was again?'

The half-elf turned to the Dragonborn, and once again Nala could have sworn she saw her skin glow faintly for just a split second. With a wary expression, the elf looked at Nala.

'I did not.'

'Well, it's about time for that, then. My name is Nala Fennorae- what's yours?'

'Yorda,' the half-elf spoke softly.

'Yorda who?'

'Just Yorda.'

Right. This again. Nala honestly could not decide on what was worse- fabricating a ridiculous last name like Dodecahedron or not coming up with a last name at all. The Dragonborn merely shook her head, dropping the subject.

By now, Mialee had walked closer to the front of the wagon. As there had not been any trouble so far, her bow was still strapped to her back. With a mild interest, she looked up at Yorda.

'You are not a city dweller. Where do you hail from, half-breed?'

Nala immediately picked up on the condescending tone of the elf. So far, the prejudice of elves disliking anything that was not their own race seemed to hold up with Mialee, as well.

With a slightly confused expression, Yorda looked at the brown-haired elf next to her.

'I am not sure what you mean.'

'I have not seen elves of your colour before. Where do you come from? The north? I am from the forests of Tethir. There were not many other elven clans in our territory, and none of them had your appearance.'

Yorda looked at Mialee, frowning. She was silent for a few seconds, after which she replied:

'I… do not know.'

'What do you mean? You can't remember?'

'No. We just never gave it a name.'

'Wait, really?' Nala asked in a confused tone. 'No names? At all?'

'No. I do not think you can name something that changes so strongly from day to day.'

'Heh. Navigating a place like that must be a real nightmare,' they heard Angelica say from the back of the wagon. 'I mean, just imagine.' She put on a rough voice. '"All right, guys, we're going to Mediocre-sized clearing! Turn right at Small Rock, past Tiny Pebble, then all the way to Top Of Small Creek. If you see Big Tree A to your right, you've gone too far."'

That earned her a chuckle from Meek. The young man seemed to ease up a little bit, no longer squeezing the reins of the wagon. Nala smiled as well, looking at him from her position on the ground. Her eyes were drawn to the short sword strapped to his side.

'Say- Meek. How proficient are you with that sword?'

'Yeah, Meek,' Angelica said, suddenly appearing right behind the young man. Her face was inches away from his neck and her fingers quickly ran over the top of his back, tracing the outlines of his spine. 'How proficient are you?'

The effect was instant – poor Meek jumped straight into the air from his seat, dropped the reins and let out a high-pitched, almost girly, scream. He almost fell out of the wagon, actually. Nala brought up her shield at the last second, keeping him from completely toppling over. He climbed back into his seat, freckles sharply contrasting with his now dark purple cheeks, and yelled:

'Don't DO that!'

'Leave the driver alone, Angelica,' Nala lightly scolded. 'You'll make us end up in a ditch somewhere.'

She was not far off with that statement. As Angelica frowned at the Dragonborn with disappointment, Meek suddenly jumped up again. He tugged at the reins, hard. Both oxes pulled to the right. They almost ran over Mialee, who had to make a hard jump to the right in order to keep the beasts from walking over her toes.

'Tiefling!'

'Wasn't me!' Angelica protested angrily.

'Then what is it?!'

Both turned towards Meek, who was looking at a point further down the road. His skin had turned slightly pale. With a shaky finger, he pointed to the road in front of them.  
'L-look!'

All looked at where he was pointing. And it instantly became clear what had gotten him so spooked. There, a couple of meters away from the wagon, lay two horses on the sandy trail. Their legs were sprawled out beneath them. Neither of them was moving.  
'W…what do you think h-happened?' Meek asked meekly. Nala frowned, reaching for her longsword. In an ominous voice, she answered.

'Nothing good.'

The Paladrin frowned, squinting with her eyes to get a better look at the scene in front of her. But it was too far away. The rays of sunlight falling through the thick canopy cast a dusty filter over the road, making details hard to make out.

'I'll check it out,' Mialee said to her left. She leapt into a sprint, leaving the wagon and the rest of the group behind. Nala watched tensely as the brown-haired elf quickly closed the distance between her and the horses. She came to a halt next to the nearest body and knelt down, closely inspecting the dead horse. Nala saw Mialee pull something that resembled an arrow out of the carcass, holding it against the light. A few seconds of silence went by.

Then everything happened instantly. Nala could hear a faint rustle in the bushes, at the same time that Mialee reflexively jumped up and rolled backwards. A single arrow pierced the sky, coursing straight for the green-eyed elf. It missed by just an inch.  
 _'Eep!'_

Nala looked back to see Yorda grab onto Meek and push him off the driver's spot, between the supply crates and into cover. Mialee yelled a single word back at the group.  
 _'Goblins!'_

That was not what Nala wanted to hear. She quickly grabbed for her longsword and repeated Mialee's words.

'Goblin attack! Everyone, be careful!'

The second arrow hit Mialee right in the shoulder. It came flying out of nowhere, ripping through the fabric of her elven amour and embedding itself deep into her flesh. Mialee let out a pained scream. She started to move backwards, but not before locking in on the road in front of her. Two small goblins had appeared on the sandy trail, blocking the path. Their sharp, yellow teeth were bared in sinister smiles. Both of them seemed to be wearing a random mashup of armor- Nala could make out leather, heavy metal boots and a fancy scimitar on the same goblin. That could only mean one thing- bandits.

Over at the horse carcasses, Mialee quickly drew her bow and fired at the goblins in front of her. But her aim must have been thrown off by the dodge from before, because the arrow missed its mark. They charged the elf-

And suddenly a bright, pink, _sparkly_ -

Wait, _what_? The Dragonborn had to do a double take on that. Her eyes were not fooling her- that really was a laser beam. A pink, sparkly laser beam. The Tiefling fired a sparkling laser beam from the palm of her hand, aimed straight at one of the charging goblins. It nailed it right in the head, sending the little creature flying. It fell into the surrounding thicket and vanished from sight. Nala turned to look at Angelica, who was still sitting on the wagon.

'What?' she asked innocently, when she saw the look on Nala's face.

'Nothing. I'm not even going to ask.'

'Watch out!'.

The remaining goblin, its pointy ears flapping on the sides of its head, dashed around the wounded Mialee and charged at Nala. It was wielding a scimitar that was almost too big for its body. With a vicious giggle, the goblin swung its weapon at Nala. Luckily it had bad aim. The scimitar merely bounced off her shield, not doing any real damage. Nala reacted on instinct, pulling her shield away and swinging her longsword at the goblin. It ran right through the tiny creature, like a piece of meat on a skewer. Instantly, the goblin went limp. Nala shook it off her sword, smearing the blade with dark blood.

Mialee came dashing back to the wagon. She was holding her upper arm and breathing heavily. A thin stream of blood trickled down her armour. As she ran past, Nala took her eyes of the thicket in front of her just for a second – and immediately another arrow came flying in, this time aimed at her. With more luck than skill, Nala managed to deflect the projectile with her shield.

'They're hidden in the bushes!' Angelica yelled. She was still sitting on the wagon and her eyes were scanning the tree line nervously. The sides of the road were so overgrown with bushes and other plants that it was incredibly hard to make out anything. This was bad. If they could not see their enemy, they couldn't attack them.

'Aargh!'

The Dragonborn quickly glanced back at the wagon. Yorda had grabbed hold of Mialee, forcefully pulling the goblin arrow out of her shoulder. Mialee let out a scream, but before the wound could really start bleeding, the pale half-elf had placed her palm on the hole and muttered a single word. Her palm glowed brightly for a second. When she removed it from Mialee's shoulder, the wound had completely healed up.

From behind the two, Alatar suddenly came running around the cart. He had his hands up and Nala could see glimmers of blue arcane energy swirling between his fingers. But as the goblins were still hidden in the thicket, the wizard could not find a target for his spell.

'Damn it- if only I had a line of sight!'

'Stay alert! We don't know where they are!'

'Or you could try freezing everything,' Angelica grinned at him from her seat. Another two goblins came running at the group; this time Mialee, who had recovered from her earlier wound, jumped in to intercept their attack. She drew her bow, aimed and nailed one of the goblins right in the chest. Nala brought her shield up to guard against the other one- he slammed against the metal with a soft _thud_.

Then, from the thicket to the left of them, another arrow flew. It grazed past Nala, only barely missing the Dragonborn's neck and flying for Angelica, instead. The Tiefling was not prepared for that. She was lucky, though- the arrow struck the side of her left upper arm, embedding itself in the wood of the wagon and leaving a large gash in her skin rather than piercing her body outright. For a split second, the Tiefling seemed stunned. She looked down at the gash on her arm.

Then a single vein started pulsating near her temple. It all happened in a split second. Angelica rose up from hear seat and turned towards the bushes where the arrow had come from. Before anyone knew what was going on, the Warlock had launched herself off the wagon and charged off towards the tree line with a wild:

' _RAAAAAAAAGH!'_

She vanished between the thicket. Nala, Alatar and Mialee all looked on, stunned. For a moment, nothing happened. There was a complete silence. Then another beam of bright pink, sparkling arcane energy shot through the trees into the clearing, burning some of the leaves. That was followed, with a loud _thud_ , by the body of a very dead goblin. There was a gaping hole in its chest.

'Or we could do that,' Mialee nodded, as the dark-haired Tiefling came wading back out of the bushes. 'That works, too.'

But the battle hadn't been won yet. Nala was pretty certain that there was at least one other goblin out there. There had been arrows from two different directions. It had to be nearby. If only this forest wasn't so overgrown-!

'There,' Yorda suddenly said, looking straight ahead. 'On the left. Six steps away from the dead horse, in the bushes.'

'Are you sure?' Mialee asked. Yorda nodded, her eyes locked on that spot.  
'Positive.'

Apparently, that was all the confirmation that Mialee needed. Imitating Angelica, the brown-haired elf ran directly into the thicket to their left. She vanished from sight for a few seconds. Then the group heard scuffling, followed by a high-pitched shriek.

Three seconds later, Mialee emerged from the bushes again. Her face was flustered and she was dragging an unconscious goblin by his ankle. Judging by the egg-sized bruise on his temple, Mialee had whacked him right across the skull with the blunt side of one of her blades.

'Looks like that was the last of them.'

Nala let out a breath of relief. They had all made it out alive. That could have gone very wrong, but the group seemed to have luck on their side. Sword still in hand, Nala scanned the tree line for other goblins. But Mialee was right. That had been all of them.  
'Meek?' Yorda asked, peeking into the slightly damaged wagon. He was still lying between the supply crates. As soon as he heard his name, however, he quickly sprang back up.  
'I-I'm all right! I'm all right!'

Meanwhile, Nala had reached Mialee and the unconscious goblin. The elf took out a piece of rope, and together they tied him up until they were sure that he could not escape anymore. Not that that was likely to happen in the first place. The wound on his head looked nasty. Dark blood trickled out and Nala was sure that if he woke up, he would probably do so with a nasty concussion. They dragged the goblin back to the wagon. But before Nala could toss him to the group, she was stopped by a tug on her sleeve from Mialee.

'We have a problem,' the brown-haired elf spoke softly.

'Why? What is it?'

She gestured at the dead horses behind them.

'I recognize those horses. They belonged to that dwarf and human pair from before. They rode off on them when we went to get the cart.'

'Are you certain?' Nala asked, frowning.

'Definitely. This seems to have been a location for regular ambushes. Gundrin and Sildar probably encountered the same group of goblin bandits that we did… only they were not as lucky.'

'If that's the case, then where are their bodies?' Alatar spoke. He had been listening in to their conversation and walked up to the pair. 'I don't see any human bodies around here.'  
'Maybe they hid them,' Nala suggested. 'To keep the element of surprise for the next ambush.'

'But leave the dead horses in plain sight? Not very likely,' Angelica responded. 'No, if they're not dead, they probably took them somewhere.'

By now, everyone but Yorda had gathered around the goblin. She was watching from on top of the wagon, with a nervous Meek once again sitting next to her.

'Well, if anyone knows what happened, it would be this little shit,' Alatar spoke, nudging the unconscious goblin with his foot. Angelica and Mialee nodded.

'Let's wake him up and see what he knows.'

It did not take long for the goblin to wake up. It noticed it was bound almost immediately. With a high-pitched hiss, it struggled against the rope.

'We have some questions for you, little shit,' Alatar said in a threatening tone. The goblin looked at him for a split second, spit on the ground and hissed something back in a sharp, shrieking language. Alatar cursed under his breath and stepped away.

'Damn it. All right, which of you people knows how to speak Goblin?'

'I do, actually,' Mialee responded.

'Really? Where'd you pick that up?' Alatar asked with raised eyebrows. Mialee gave him a single, dark look.

'None of your concern, human.'

The elf ranger stepped past the wizard, who did not seem to be taking her sharp reply well, and moved until she was standing right in front of the bound goblin. In a similar shrieking voice to his own, she asked him a question. The goblin gave her a very foul look in return, refusing to answer. He was fully bound, but his teeth were bared and his eyes sparked defiantly. Mialee asked the question again, with the same result.

Then the brown-haired elf seemed to lose her patience. She bent over and grabbed the scruff of his neck, apparently trying to lift the creature up and intimidate him. It did not go well. The goblin proved to be heavier than she had imagined, or maybe the ranger overestimated her own strength. Nala wasn't sure which of the two it was, but the scene that followed was rather embarrassing. Mialee furiously tried to pull him up. And failed horribly. His goblin butt did not even leave the ground. She tried a second time. And a third, by which point everyone was looking at the situation with awkward looks on their faces. Even the goblin looked a little awkward at her persistent failures.

At that point Nala decided to step in.

'Here. Let me.'

Mialee begrudgingly stepped aside as the Dragonborn took over, reaching for the tiny goblin and instantly pulling him into the air. His feet dangled helplessly as Nala held him by his neck, brought her face right up to his pointy nose and growled threateningly.  
'What did you do to the dwarf and the human that came before us?'

It shrieked something in return. Mialee translated the question into goblin, after which a three-way conversation commenced.

'Nothing! Aarumph knows nothing!' the creature snarled in Goblin. Mialee translated and Nala tightened her grip around its neck, making the goblin turn slightly purple.

'Speak, you wretch! Where are they?!'

'Filthy Dragonborn, filthy elf, can't make me, can't make me, can't make me! Aarumph knows nothing!'

At that point, Angelica joined in the conversation. She smiled sweetly at the goblin, making a look of confusion appear on its jagged face. Then she bent forward, getting so close that only the creature could see what she was doing. With the mutter of a single word, her eyes started to change colour. They lit up in a pale, sickly glow, momentarily giving her face the haunting appearance of a dark skull. As the goblin pulled away in horror, Angelica whispered:

'You will tell us what you did with the dwarf and the human, or I will pluck your eyeballs from their sockets. I will eat them right next to you, just close enough so that you can hear yourself getting devoured. And when they are finished, I will tear those bat-like ears off of your skull and skin you alive... If you are still alive by then, at least.'

Never mind that it was not in Goblin tongue – the creature seemed to understand exactly what kind of threat the Tiefling had just made. It started shaking uncontrollably, bending backwards as far as Nala's dragon claws would allow.

'Okay! Okay- Aarumph tells! He tells! Get it away, get it away!'

'The dwarf and the human!' Nala growled. 'What happened to them?!'

'Takes! We takes them! Ambush them like we ambushed you. Chief says kill the horses and the group that comes after, but not the dwarf. Chief says there's a reward for catching the dwarf. Aarumph does what chief Klarg says.'

'Where are they?!' Mialee responded, after quickly translating for the rest of the group.

'And why did you need the dwarf alive?'

'Aarumph doesn't know, Aarumph doesn't know! He just does what chief Klarg says. Good order from Black Spider. Can't say no to good order.'

'Who is the Black Spider?' Nala asked threateningly, while shaking the tiny goblin up and down.  
'Nobody knows. Comes in and gives jobs to chief. Jobs from king. Can't say no to good jobs from king. Can't stand these ropes, untie me, untie me, untie me!'

He once again started to struggle against his bindings. His tiny feet swished through the air furiously, trying to kick at Nala's armour. He did not even come close, of course. Compared to the Dragonborn, goblins were _really_ tiny. He did succeed in pissing her off, and Nala tightened her grip on his neck even more.

'Ask him what king he's talking about.'

Mialee did, after which Aarumph shook his head furiously, still in defiance. It only took a single step of Angelica towards the group to make him change his mind.  
'No, get it away, get it away! Aarumph tells! Dwarf was taken to King Groll. Goblin king. In Kragmar. Nasty fellow, nastier than Klarg. Aarumph not like him. Always gives nasty looks.'  
'And Sildar? The human?' Nala pressed.

'Good meat. Chief Klarg take him back to Eating Cave. Told Aarumph to stay and watch for wagon. Then ambush and take all the crates for food. Travelers are scarce. Need to ambush to get enough food.'

'That sounds suspiciously much like they're going to eat him,' Nala noted, after Mialee was done translating for the group. The brown-haired elf gave a single nod, confirming the goblin's story.

'They are known to be omnivorous. In the truest sense of the word. That includes eating things larger than them, like humans.'

'Well that's a problem,' Angelica pitched in. She had climbed back onto the cart, on Meek's other side, who was once again looking very uncomfortable.

Nala nodded. 'We need to rescue him.'

'Indeed. A dead employer means no money.'

'Oh yes, we wouldn't want to miss out on his money,' Nala said sarcastically. 'Never mind actually saving a person's life.'

The Tiefling shrugged. 'What can I say? I like clear contracts. And saving his life was not part of our deal. If he's still alive, I'll be charging extra.'

Nala felt obliged to speak out in protest, but stopped herself. Clearly this Tiefling did not have much sense of honour or duty. At least she was accepting of the idea to go rescue Sildar in the first place. She could have reacted much worse- taking off into the wilderness with the supply wagon, for example. Nala shook her head, once again turning to the goblin.

'Speak, creature. Where is this Eating Cave?'

'Not far. A short walk, off the path. Very close.'

'Good. You will take us there.'

For a moment, Aarumph looked at them with a confused look on his face. Then the meaning of that sentence got through to his brain and he started to protest furiously.  
'No, no, no, no! Aarumph told you. Aarumph told you what you need to know. Now let Aarumph go- untie these ropes, yes? Eating cave very close, you no need guide. No need goblin guide.'

'If we don't need a goblin guide, I can just kill you right here,' Angelica once again threatened. Aarumph shook his head so hard it made his ears flap in his face.  
'Okay! Need guide. Need goblin guide. I show you the way. Aarumph show you the way and then you release ropes, yes?'

Slowly, Nala placed Aarumph on the ground. She released her hand from his neck. The goblin breathed a sigh of relief. That look instantly changed to one of horror as Nala handed the end of the rope, which he was still tied to, to Angelica.

'You'll guide us to the cave. Don't try anything, goblin.'

Aarumph nodded furiously. He took a few steps backwards, clearly trying to create as much space between him and Angelica as the rope would allow. Nala turned towards the wagon, where Meek and Yorda were still sitting. Meek seemed to be very unhappy with the current situation. She opened her mouth and addressed the red-haired human directly:

'Sorry, Meek. We'll have to go off the path to save your employers first. There will be more goblins. Don't worry, though -we'll make sure to keep you safe on the way. You have my word.'

The promise of a Dragonborn – and to an even greater extent, the promise of a paladin - was not something to be taken lightly. During her training, Nala had learned that she was to be very careful with giving her word- because she was morally bound to keep that oath at all costs. Some Paladins made it a reason never to promise anything. Nala wasn't like that. She nodded confidently to Meek, who tried to nod back in a sort of nervous, skittish head twitch.

'D-don't worry about me! I c-can take care of m-myself if I have to.'

Nala raised a single eyebrow. From the looks of the rest of the group, the others did not believe him either. Yorda was gazing into the distance, seemingly not interested in the current string of events. Mialee had taken Angelica's place in the wagon. The Tiefling seemed to be having great fun with her goblin-on-a-leash, and was ready to move out. Nala shook her head at the sight and re-took her place guarding the wagon. They were ready to get going.

'Wait.'  
Before Meek could resume control of the oxes, Alatar suddenly stepped away from the wagon and towards their captive goblin. His brow was furrowed and he had a strange gleam in his eyes. He cut off the goblin's path, making the group have to halt again.  
'I don't think the little shit has told us everything,' Alatar said in a low voice. 'They're crafty bastards- I bet he is still hiding something.'

He took a threatening step towards the goblin. Nala raised her eyebrows in confusion at his words.

'He's already told us the location of their base, where Sildar and Gundrin are and why they ambushed us. What else could he be hiding?'

'I don't know yet. But we'll find out when I break his arm.'

For a split second, Nala was convinced that Alatar was joking. But when he stepped towards the goblin and put out his arm to grab him, it became very apparent that the wizard was being serious. He really intended to break the creature's arm.

Nala instantly jumped in between the two. A moment later she was followed, to her surprise, by Yorda. The tiny half-elf moved right in front of Alatar and put out her arms, shaking her head at the wizard.

'You should not do that.'

'Move aside,' Alatar said, annoyed. She shook her head again, this time accompanied by a growl from Nala.

'The goblin is already cooperating. We are not going to torture him, wizard!' The Dragonborn hissed. She was getting seriously bad vibes from Alatar. Never mind that he wanted to actually break someone's limb - he wanted to do that to an unarmed, restrained creature, that had already agreed to help them. It was senseless violence just for the sake of violence and, being the good type of person she was, it gave Nala the creeps.

What was wrong with this person?

'I think he's still hiding something. We need to know,' Alatar sneered. His hands were still hidden inside of his sleeves and his mage hood, pulled up as far as possible, partly shielded his face from view. There was something strange about the way he looked at Nala. A look of contempt, but also... expectation? The Dragonborn wasn't sure, and it made her very uncomfortable. But she stood firm, ready to deny him again.

But it was Yorda who spoke up first. She once again shook her head at the wizard, pointing at Aarumph.

'He is already wounded. Breaking his arm could send him into shock. We need him awake so he can show us the way.'

Her argument was cold. Logical, without passion. But it came through where Nala's anger did not. Alatar huffed, looking down on the tiny half-elf. He shrugged once and backed off.  
'Fine, then. Do as you please.'

He walked back to the other side of the wagon and vanished from sight. Nala frowned at the spot where he had disappeared. Her feelings of distrust towards him had increased greatly. He really had crossed a line, there. And not only him. The Dragonborn found herself wanting to get this job over with quickly. There were too many strange people in this group, and it tired her out. Which was not a good thing to have in a group of total strangers. The sooner they rescued Sildar and Gundrin, the better.

* * *

 ** _About 10 minutes later_**

* * *

The group was traveling in silence. Angelica was in the front, holding on to the leashed goblin tightly. Nala followed not far behind, with the rest of the group taking a rest inside the wagon. The Dragonborn was in a foul mood. The previous scene with Alatar had left a bad taste in her mouth. If this were to be any indication of how the rest of their adventure would be, she might have to call it quits early or risk an out-all brawl between herself and the wizard. That was not something that she looked forward to.

Unless there was ale involved. Then it might not be that bad.

As the Dragonborn remained deep in thought, Yorda's pale face suddenly appeared in her field of vision. The half-elf had leaned over, inches from falling out of the wagon as she curiously peered at Nala.

'Are you a dragon?'

'What? No,' Nala stammered, confused by the sudden question. It had caught her completely off guard.

'But you have the eyes and head of one. And the scales. Yet you are bipedal. How does that work?'

 _How does that work?_ Nala was stunned. Yorda was joking. She had to be. There was no way that she didn't know. Nala's race was not _that_ uncommon. And most people knew that the Dragonborn heritage was not something that you brought up randomly with a bunch of strangers during a wagon ride. But this elf did. Either she was messing with her on purpose, or she truly did not know.

'We hold some dragon blood, yes,' Nala replied. 'It's somewhat of a delicate subject.'

In front of her, she could see Angelica turning her head and snickering. She was enjoying this. Nala was not - but the tiny half-elf did not seem to understand the subtle signals that the Dragonborn was giving her.

'You do? How did that happen?'

It was at that point that Angelica could no longer hold in her laughter. She chuckled loudly and, much to the chagrin of Nala, mingled into the conversation with:  
'Well, Yorda, when a dragon and a human love each other very much-'

'Enough!' Nala snapped.

'Aw, I just wanted to teach her how you-'

She was abruptly cut off again. But this time not by Nala. As Angelica set another step forward, not paying attention to the road, something suddenly moved underneath her feet. A short whiff sounded, after which the Angelica was suddenly upside down. She had stepped on a snare trap, which immediately sprang and hoisted her up in the air by the ankle. Before anyone knew what was happening, the Tiefling was swinging upside down in the air, cursing like a sailor. Aarumph got pulled over as well, as she was still holding on to his leash.

'I've got it!' Mialee yelled, eyeing the rope. She ran up to the dangling Tiefling and reached for her bow. When Angelica realized what she was about to do, she started flailing around in panic.

'No- wait, I handle this myself! Stop!'

Too late. Mialee had already drawn and aimed her arrow, letting it fly at the rope... and missing spectacularly because of Angelica's flailing. Instead of slicing through the rope, the arrow embedded itself right into her ankle.

'OWW! ELF! I SAID I COULD HANDLE IT!'

More cursing. Mialee looked slightly apologetic as Angelica reached for her other ankle. She pulled a single, nasty-looking dagger out of her boot and brought it up to the rope that had ensnared her. The Tiefling started sawing through the rope – while almost ten feet up in the air.

'Wait!' Yorda called, jumping off the wagon and running past Nala and Mialee. She reached her at the same time that the Tiefling cut through the last bit of rope. Angelica fell straight down, slammed into Yorda and made them both crash into the ground. The tiny half-elf almost completely vanished underneath the Tiefling as they hit the dirt with a loud _thud_.

'... _ow_.'  
Angelica slowly got up, her face a mask of frustration and annoyance. Then she noticed the elf underneath her.

'Oh. Um, thanks.'

She awkwardly rolled off of her. Her face twisted into a pained expression. The arrow was still embedded into her ankle, with a few drops of blood starting to drip down. As Angelica shot Mialee a truly murderous expression, on her other side Yorda grabbed hold of her foot, broke off the back part of the arrow and then, without warning, pulled it out.

 _'OWW!_ _Kdaavh Eiul_!'

That was followed by a whole boatload of curses in a language that Nala did not understand. Angelica turned around to Yorda, her anger seemingly switching targets. By then the tiny elf had already placed her palm on the Tiefling's skin. A moment later, her wound was healed.

'...Oh. Thanks.'

Her hand was still wrapped firmly around the leash. The goblin seemed disappointed. No doubt he had been hoping to get away amidst all the confusion. But the Tiefling seemed to have a very strong grip. His droopy green ears were almost comical. That could have been the end of it, if not for Alatar. The scene with the rope trap seemed to be sufficient reason for him to unleash his wrath on the goblin once again. He was next to him within seconds, eyes flashing angrily.

'You little shit! Why didn't you tell us about the trap?!'

He raised his hand high above his head, then swooped down to hit Aarumph- but the goblin was faster. He ducked out of the way. Alatar had not been prepared for that. His swing missed its target. Instead it kept going and made contact with Mialee, who had been standing next to Aarumph. With a loud _slap_ , he struck her right across the face.

' _OW!_ What the hell, wizard?!'

'You shouldn't have been sitting so close!'

'Do that again and you won't be sitting anymore at all!'

Nala just watched the scene and shook her head, rubbing her temples with her fingers.  
A bunch of idiots. All of them. And they were stuck with each other for the unforeseen future.

And no ale in sight.

Great.

Today was shaping up to be the worst day ever.


	3. Chapter 1,2 - Eating Cave, part 1

**Chapter 1.2 – Inside the eating cave, part 1**

 _As all of our group had never played before, the goblin encounters on the road had really, REALLY spooked us. We were all scared to death of the enemies in this cave and acted like complete cowards. Sneaking was done. Bribery was attempted. Traps were triggered._

 _Our DM was not amused._

 _By the way - I'm challenging whoever is reading this story to try and guess as which character I am playing. Hint: it's not the Dragonborn. =)_

* * *

'There. Is that it?'

A few minutes had gone by since the series of on-road shenanigans. Nala had been gazing at the ground, searching for more traps that Angelica might have missed. She looked up at Mialee, who had been walking beside her. The brown-haired elf gestured to their right. There was a small path up ahead, about the size of an animal trail.

Yes,' Aarumph nodded. 'You follow that. Leads to cave. Leads to your human.'

The goblin was still bound by the rope. By now he had given up on trying to get away from Angelica, who seemed to enjoy reeling him back in abruptly. With the huge bruises on his head and arms, he looked pitiable. If he hadn't been a bandit and a murderer, Nala would have felt sorry for him.

'The wagon will not fit in there,' Mialee noted, looking at the small trail. 'We should hide it. Avoid detection.'

'Only the cover really draws attention,' Yorda nodded, looking up at the dusty white fabric.

'Indeed. If we cover that and steer it into the thicket, it should be decently hidden from view.'

And that is how it happened. With a group effort, the wagon was pushed into the thicket and the cover got camouflaged. From a distance, it looked just like a strangely-shaped tree. Nala hoped that that would prove to be enough. Because they were leaving Meek in there, too. The Dragonborn had no confidence in his fighting competences, and she did not want him getting killed.

'We won't be long,' she instructed the young redhead. 'You should stay in the wagon and do what you can to keep the oxes quiet. If we're not back when the sun starts to set, you should leave.'

'D-don't worry about me,' Meek said. 'I can t-take care of myself.'

He gave the sword on his hip a single pat, seemingly trying to reassure himself as much as the rest of the group. For a moment Nala contemplated leaving someone behind to watch over Meek and the wagon, but then changed her mind. He was well-hidden, and they were about to face an enemy of unknown size and number. Weakening the group would not be a good idea at this point.

With Mialee in the lead, the group pressed on. It did not take them long to reach the end of the small animal trail. It led right up to another clearing, invisible from the side of the road. They had reached a large rock formation. A small stream trickled by their feet, coming from a groove in between the rocks. It was large enough for multiple people to fit through. The ground in front of it was cleared of any grass and flattened, seemingly from many pairs of small feet.

That was definitely a cave entrance.

'See? Aarumph tell the truth,' the goblin said nervously. 'Now let Aarumph go. He show you the way, you release ropes, yes?'

His pleading went completely ignored. All eyes were on the cave entrance. The path got so dark so fast that they could not see anything that went on inside. That was going to be a problem. As a Dragonborn, Nala had good eyes, but they could not see in the dark. And they could not just light a torch, not with enemy goblins waiting to attack. Before they went in, they would have to find a way around that.

'We need to go in there?' Yorda asked. The pale half-elf had walked up next to Angelica, eyeing the cave entrance as well. Angelica gave her a single nod.

'We do. But we have no idea what we'll find in there. We can't just walk in without a plan.'

'We could lure them out,' Mialee suggested. 'Set traps around the entrance, then catch them by surprise.'

'No,' Alatar said loudly, mingling into the conversation. He had pulled out a small spellbook and was flipping through its pages furiously. Then he found what he was looking for.

'I can put them to sleep with my magic. They will be helpless, and we can grab Sildar.'

'That won't work,' Nala countered. 'We don't know how many there are. Or how long that cave is. It could be going down for miles for all we know.'

'What do you propose, then?' he snapped back. 'Smoke them out?'

'No. We need to find a way to see in the dark, first.'

'That won't be a problem,' Mialee reacted. 'We should lay those traps now, before they become aware of us.'

'Maybe it won't be a problem for _you_ , but Dragonborn and humans don't have the ability to see in the dark!'

'I can see just fine, thank you!' Alatar responded. 'And I still think that I should cast sleep.'

'I just told you, we don't know how big that-'

Something rustled in the bushes. At the same time, Aarumph let out a soft whimper. The goblin staggered and leaned against Angelica, who was still holding his leash. She shook her leg in disgust, expecting to shrug him off. Instead the tiny goblin fell straight down. He landed on the leafy ground with a soft _thud,_ his body going limp. A single, black arrow protruded from his tiny chest. Dark red blood was spreading from the wound quickly.

Goblins.

'Everybody down!' Nala yelled, running towards the nearest person - Yorda – and slamming her shield down in front of her. 'We're under attack!'

'Not this again!' Angelica complained. A spark of pink arcane energy appeared between her fingers, but the Tiefling once again had no target. The dense thicket in the forest completely shrouded the goblins, hiding them from sight. Another arrow shot forth from the bushes, missing Angelica only by an inch. Nala's head snapped towards a small clearing to their left. It was little more than a hole in the thicket, but it was big enough to let her through. The Dragonborn grabbed her shield again and ran towards the passage. It only took her seconds to turn the corner. She saw a glimpse of a second clearing and large, wooden beams-

And another goblin. Right in front of her. The little creature had waited in the bushes for Nala to come running past, jumping a good five feet into the sky and aiming for her face. Of course, since she was a Dragonborn, the goblin only managed to make it up to about chest height. Nala reflexively swung her sword. It sliced right into the goblin's side. The force of the impact launched it away from Nala, slamming into the nearest tree. It did not get up again.

'Come on, then, you little bastards!' the Dragonborn roared. 'Who's next?!'

They did not take long to answer. Another green flash came out of the bushes, slamming right into her shield. Nala made short work of this one, too. At the far side of the clearing, a large wooden structure leaned against some of the trees. It looked like a crudely made watchtower. Hidden from the other side, the goblins inside the tower had a clear view of the cave entrance. They were shooting at the very spot that Nala had just run around.

'Mialee! Over here!' she yelled, charging the tower. The elf ranger quickly ran after her, with Alatar following suit. With the three of them, they charged the tower. Yorda and Angelica were left on the other side of the thicket.

* * *

 _ **Echo***_

 _To clear up any confusion - one of our player's characters is hiding her true name from the group. The parts written from her POV will be with her real name, though. In the story, the Tiefling known as Angelica is actually named Echo. None of the other characters are aware of this._

* * *

'We should move,' the Tiefling said over her shoulder, addressing Yorda. 'I can't see a damn thing with all of these trees in the way.'

When Yorda didn't respond, Echo took her eyes off the thicket to look behind her. The pale half-elf was still standing at the beginning of the clearing. With her arms folded around herself, Yorda merely waited. She did not seem like very much of a fighter. Or maybe the girl was just slow. Echo raised her arm, beckoning the half-elf to come with her. A soft rustle sounded from the bushes.

The next moment, something whiffed past the side of her neck. It was a soft sound, barely audible. Like a little pebble plunging below the water surface. As Echo turned her head, she could feel something warm trickling down the side of her neck. She brought up her hand and brushed past her skin in a confused motion. When she pulled it back, her fingers were stained a bright red. Dark liquid dripped to the ground, quickly forming a puddle.

The arrow had pierced the vein in her neck.

As Echo tried to wrap her hand around the wound, the world around her started to blur. A dizziness filled her head. Her legs went weak, then buckled underneath her. She crashed to the ground, hard. But the Tiefling barely felt it. A terrible cold came over her, starting in her limbs and slowly moving up towards her torso. Her head was strangely empty as she looked at the dark puddle of blood gathering underneath her, her body slowly becoming unresponsive. The edges of her vision started to turn black.

Something tiny and white had made its way to Echo's side. Through her blurry vision, she could see strands of pale grey hair. Yorda.

'Stay still.'

'You're bloody... kidding me, right?' Echo gasped. Here she was, bleeding out on the ground, almost unable to move. As if she could do anything else. The Tiefling watched motionlessly as Yorda pulled her clenched hand away from the wound in her neck. More blood trickled down her torso and as she bled out, her vision darkened even further. The half-elf quickly placed her own hand on the Tiefling's neck. She muttered a single word. Her palm started to glow in a ghostly white, and Echo could feel a surge of warmth spread from her neck down through her body. It was not pleasant. The closest Echo could come to describing the sensation was a rush of adrenaline, jolting through her body like electricity.

But it worked. As the Tiefling lay there, her vision stopped swimming and slowly returned to normal. The numbness in her limbs faded. She could feel her arms and legs again. Yorda removed her palm, scuffling slightly back from the Tiefling. When Echo brought her hand back up to her neck, she felt nothing but smooth skin.

Her wound had healed.

'Thank you,' Echo said sincerely, nodding to the half-elf. She slowly got back up. The Tiefling still felt a little woozy, but at least she was still alive. Her gaze traveled back to the dense thicket in front of them. She could hear the clashing of metal on metal. The others were still fighting.

'Come on. Let's go.'

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

Meanwhile, Nala and Mialee were locked in what can only be described as a weird tag-battle with the remaining goblins. There were three of them left. One was still perched up in the watchtower, but the other two had climbed down. The little creatures were fast. They circled around the Dragonborn and the Elf, baring their teeth in sinister grins as they feinted attacks with their short swords. Nala and Mialee stood back-to-back, trying desperately to keep the cretins in their field of view and block the third one up in the tower from shooting holes in them at the same time. It was maddening.

'A little help, please!' Nala yelled to Alatar. The wizard was just coming around the corner, holding the front of his hood with his right hand to keep it from falling back. Alatar took a single look at the situation in front of him and sprang into action. Bringing both hands in front of him, the wizard yelled out in a language that Nala could not understand. A large orb of blue arcane energy started to form between his palms. Traces of frost appeared on the sleeves of his robes. Alatar took a deep breath, aimed and blasted the frost ray off into the air – flying high above all of their heads.

'I meant _down here_!' Nala yelled in frustration as she watched the ray shoot past. But Alatar had not been aiming for the two goblins on the ground. The frost ray coursed straight for the goblin in the tower, nailing him in the head just as he tensed his bow to shoot at the two people below. The effect was instant. With an eerie cracking sound, the goblin froze solid. His eyes glazed over, skin turning blue as the spell turned him into a goblin-sized ice statue.  
'Now!'

That was all they needed. Mialee leapt forward, pushing off the Dragonborn's shield for momentum. She pounced on the nearest goblin, pulling out one of the short swords strapped to her side and whacking him with it on the side of his head. It wasn't even with the sharp edge. It didn't need to be, either. The sheer force of it was enough to send the goblin flying, snapping his scruffy neck. Nala followed her example almost simultaneously. Her longsword cleaved through the air, catching the last goblin mid-charge. The blade dug right into him. On their own, they really were squishy creatures. Nala kept going, knocking the goblin back by the force of her swing and sending him sprawling against the nearest bush. He somehow managed to catch himself, landing on all fours. With bared teeth, the goblin snarled at Nala. It seemed to be all he was still capable off. Right after that, his arms and legs gave out underneath him and the goblin crashed to the ground. He did not get up again.

'Are they dead yet?' The voice of Angelica sounded. Nala turned to see the Tiefling walk around the corner of the thicket, into the clearing with the watchtower. Her face was slightly pale and her hand was pressed up against her neck. Upon closer look, her leather armour seemed to be smeared with blood. It was on her side and trousers, too.

'Whoa- are you all right?' Nala asked, startled. The Tiefling shot a glance at Yorda, who was trailing a few feet behind her, and shrugged.

'It was handled. Tell me those little shits are dead.'

Nala raised a single eyebrow in response.

'They are.'

'Good,' Angelica replied. She looked down on the nearest goblin corpse with clear disdain, kicking it with her left foot. 'I hate these things.'

'You and us all, I recon,' Nala nodded. She stood up straight and sheathed her sword, placing it back on her side. It had gotten rather dirty with goblin ick... again. Mialee and Angelica didn't seem to be doing too great, either. Especially the Tiefling- Nala wasn't sure what had happened, but there was an awful lot of blood all over her... everywhere, actually. Yorda seemed to be the only one still unscathed. Going into the cavern in this state would probably not be the best of ideas, the Dragonborn contemplated.

'We should take a short rest. Just for a little while, so you can heal up. I will keep watch on the entrance.'

The wizard frowned, about to protest. Nala quickly made a head-gesture towards Angelica, who was still looking pale. That was paired with a very stern look. Altar huffed and gave a quick nod.

'All right. Let's rest.'

* * *

As the rest of the group was taking a breather, both Alatar and Yorda had wandered off from the cave entrance. The wizard skimmed over the clearing, stopping near the goblin watchtower. Several of the goblin bodies littered the ground. They had bled out, some of them leaving large red pools underneath them. Alatar moved right up to the nearest body. With a single nudge of his foot, he flipped the creature over and started searching it. He repeated that process multiple times, with no results.

Until he reached the goblin closest to the watchtower. This one had a bulging pocket. Alatar greedily tore it open to reveal a single glass flask. It contained a soft red liquid that was carefully sealed at the top – a healing potion. Those were scarce, especially in an environment such as this. Without so much as a glance at the group's campsite, Alatar claimed the potion and stuffed it deep in the pockets of his wizard robes. He searched the rest of the goblin. Nothing. With a disappointed grunt, the wizard stood back up and looked around for other goblin corpses.

And was hit square on the head by a branch.

'Ow! What the hell?!'

Angrily, Alatar looked up. There had been someone else around, after all. Yorda was standing right above him, inside the goblin watchtower. In her hand was something that vaguely resembled the charred remains of a rabbit, gutted and pierced with a stick. It had nibble marks on it, too. It looked disgusting. She was waving at him with it with an enthusiastic look on her face.

'I found a rabbit!'

Her enthusiasm did not reach Alatar. The wizard just looked at her, silently. Raised one eyebrow. Then, without a single word, he turned around and walked back to the group.

Yorda huffed, clearly displeased with his reaction. Still holding the piece of rabbit, she climbed down and followed him. They reached the group at the same time, who by now seemed to have rested up a little. Angelica had her normal colour back and Nala had wiped most of the goblin ick off her sword.

The Dragonborn saw the tiny half-elf come over with something that looked like a burnt rat and immediately spoke out.

'What the hell is that?'

'Cooked rabbit!' Yorda said in a content voice. Nala did not share in her excitement – the thing looked disgusting. Apparently goblins were terrible cooks. About half of it was burned to a crisp, and the other half looked still raw.

'Please tell me you're not going to attempt to eat that thing.'

'I am!' Yorda responded. She seemed serious about it, too. Nala took another look at the rabbit and turned up her nose with a sound of disapproval.

'There are bite marks on there,' Mialee said.

'We have bread and dried meat back at the wagon. Eat that if you're hungry. Now throw it away – who knows what kind of diseases you'll get from eating that thing.'

The pale half-elf looked slightly defiant. It made Angelica chuckle.

'If she wants to keep the rabbit, let her keep it. Might be good for something later on - you never know.'

Yorda gave the Tiefling a smile. She placed the charred rabbit next to her, waiting for the rest of the group to finish resting up. Nala just shook her scaled head.

Idiots.

* * *

A few minutes later, they were ready to continue. It was time to enter the cavern.

This time, though, they'd worked out a strategy. Mialee once again took point, moving a few meters ahead of the rest of the party. Nala followed, with Yorda and Alatar not far behind. Angelica closed their ranks. The Tiefling was the one responsible for making sure that nothing snuck up on the party while they were sneaking up on goblins.

Nala felt a little uncomfortable letting Angelica have that role. As of this point, the Dragonborn was still not sure if she could really be trusted. She would have preferred it to be Mialee, but the elf was needed as a scout. She _definitely_ did not trust Alatar to watch their backs. There was Yorda, but with her petite frame, Nala doubted that she would be able to withstand a surprise attack in the first place. That left only the Tiefling. They moved slowly, going in through the cave entrance and walking further in. The stream was wider here, turning alongside the wall of the cavern. The water seemed to be flowing from further inside. It wasn't deep, but splashing around in it would make a lot of noise. Nala carefully stayed away from the edge.

They had forgotten one very big problem, though.

'Mialee. I can't see.'

It was true. Nala lacked the darkvision that the Tiefling and the two elves had, and whatever the wizard was doing in order to be able to see. So the second they turned the first corner, everything went black. Nala couldn't see a thing.

'Then light a torch,' Alatar's voice came whispering behind her.

'No! It'll ruin the element of surprise.'

'What am I supposed to do, then? Stumble after you and bump into everything along the way? I can't see!'

Something grabbed her hand from behind. Nala had to quickly clench her teeth or she would have let out a scream. But it was just Yorda. She watched as the tiny half-elf appeared from behind her, sidestepped the water and positioned herself next to the Dragonborn.

'Here. I will guide you.'

For a second, Nala was grateful. Being pulled around by the hand wasn't ideal, but at least she wouldn't be bumping into walls this way. Probably.

Then she realized what was wrong with this picture. She could _see_ Yorda. Nala's eyes hadn't been fooling her after all- the pale half-elf really did give off a faint glow. It had been subtle while they were outside, but not in a dark cave such as this. If not for the fact that she was holding Nala's hand, the Dragonborn would have mistaken Yorda for a ghost.

What in Bahamut's name was going on with this weird elf?

'I will scout ahead.'

That had been Mialee's voice. Nala could hear the scuffling of feet that vanished into the distance quickly. A silence fell. Everyone stayed quiet, waiting for the elf to come back.

They did not have to wait long.

'There are wolves in the way.'  
Nala once again had to keep herself from letting out a scream. Mialee had returned so stealthily that the Dragonborn had not heard her coming at all. That is, until she was standing two feet away from her. If she kept doing that, it was going to end up in a punch to the face one day for sure.

Wait, _wolves_?

'What do you mean?'

Mialee began to explain in a hushed whisper.

'There are three wolves in the room following this path. I cannot move further without them seeing me. They are chained to a big stalagmite, so they cannot attack. But if they spot us, they are going to make a whole lot of noise.'

'Guard dogs,' Alatar's voice sounded from behind them. 'There to warn the goblins further in when anyone tries to sneak up on them. Crafty little bastards.'

They slowly tiptoed after Mialee, Nala still being guided by Yorda. It did not take them long to reach the area with the wolves in it. A large natural cavity in the cave wall, it was big enough to be called a separate chamber. Nala was pleased to see a single torch lighting the cavern wall. She was less pleased to see the wolves. They were at the left end of the chamber, next to a big stalagmite. A heavy iron band rested at about halfway down the rock. It led to three chains, each tied to one of the wolf necks. Nala squinted her eyes to get a better look at the beasts. They were a sorry bunch. Apparently heavily malnourished, their ribcages and hip bones showed through their skin. Their fur looked queasy and unkempt and they had multiple patches with no hair whatsoever. These beasts were clearly not being cared for properly.

'We need to distract them somehow,' Mialee whispered softly. 'If they see us, we're going to have every goblin in this cave on us at once.'

'Anyone have any ideas?' Nala muttered to the rest of the group. Angelica and Mialee shook their heads. They had not prepared for a situation like this. There was the option of killing them, but the resulting noise would surely draw in the rest of the creatures in the cave as well. There did not seem to be any other entrances. And they could not just sneak by. The group was at an impasse.

And then Alatar suddenly turned to Yorda.

'Hey. You don't still happen to have that rabbit, do you?'

She looked at him with a blank expression on her face. Then the tiny half-elf turned away, apparently shifting her clothes to the side. A moment later she was holding the charred rabbit from before. It still looked disgusting, but this time it was greeted by the group with uncloaked enthusiasm.

'Great idea, Alatar!' Angelica whispered. 'That will work for sure. They look like they haven't eaten in days - we can use that to distract them!'

Mialee and Nala nodded in unison. The elf put out her hands, beckoning for Yorda to hand it over. The tiny half-elf did not seem to like that. A frown appeared on her face, and she reflexively pulled the meat back.

'I was going to eat that.'

'There's plenty of food back in the wagon,' Mialee responded. 'We need that rabbit to create a distraction. You can eat later- now hand it over, half-breed.'

She did not seem to like that, either. Yorda's frown remained as she looked down at her nibbled piece of meat. She bit her lower lip. After a second or so, she turned to Angelica.

'We really need this?'

For a moment, the Tiefling seemed surprised that the Yorda had addressed her, out of all the people there. Then she gave a confident nod.

'Yes.'

Her frown disappeared. She lifted the hand with the charred rabbit in it, handing the stick over to Mialee.

'All right.'

With a slightly repulsed look at the nibbled meat, Mialee took the stick from her. She tiptoed back to the room entrance, going as far as she could without the wolves noticing her. With a concentrated look on her face, the brown-haired elf brought back her arm. She stood completely still for a moment. Then Mialee exhaled, and with that, chucked the rabbit into the room as hard as she could.

It went perfectly. The meat flew over the wolves' heads, coursing through the air in a large arch. It landed right behind the beasts. They noticed it immediately. With hungry growls, the wolves turned towards the charred rabbit. They proceeded to fight each other over the meal, snarling and barking. It was a lot of noise- but not so noisy that you could hear it from further in.

Perfect.

'Let's move,' Alatar muttered. The rest gave a nod, and very slowly they crept past the room and further in. Soon the darkness returned, and once again Nala could see nothing. It was all sorts of nerve-wrecking to not be able to see what was coming. She had to trust in the others to guide her correctly, and notice any traps along the way.

And the others failed.

'What is that sound?' Nala heard a female voice, Mialee, whisper in front of her.

'What do you mean?'

And then the Dragonborn heard it too. A faint gurgling sound. She couldn't quite place it in her mind. Nala strained her ears in order to focus. That sounded suspiciously much like… running water?

'Watch out!'

The gurgling became louder, and all of a sudden Nala could feel water swirling around her feet. It only took her a split second to realize what was happening. She couldn't get away. The Dragonborn dug her heels into the ground, getting as strong a grip as possible as the wave of water hit her body. Yorda's hand slipped out of her grasp. Nala fought as the water enveloped her whole lower body. The noise was overwhelming. Then her foot was knocked off the ground by a passing rock, and the current dragged her under. She hit the water face-first, swallowing a whole mouthful of water. The Dragonborn was swept away, spinning, losing all sense of up and down. She was tossed around like a ragdoll. It hurt, too. Nala could feel her entire body getting battered by the hard cavern floor.

And then… it stopped.

Coughing up water, Nala stood up from the now again calm stream. Her head hurt. Her sides hurt. It was a small miracle that her sword was still strapped to her side. If not for her armour, she would have been scraped badly. Shaking with her head to get rid of the water, Nala climbed back onto the path.

' _Kdaavh Eiul_!'

That was Angelica's voice. Nala could hear a whole boatload of curses, alternated by loud coughing. So she wasn't the only one who had gotten swept away by the current.

'What happened?'

'Water trap! They dumped bloody half a river on us!'

More cursing. In the distance, Nala saw a light source. She instinctively started moving towards it. They had to regroup. Other than Angelica, where was everyone? Had they been swept off even further? Or had they managed to sidestep the trap? What had happened?

' _Grrr….'_

The Dragonborn blinked at the sound. For a second, she could not place it. Then Nala realized what it was and her eyes opened wide. She was standing right in the middle of the entrance to the wolf room.

And this time, they had _definitely_ noticed her.


	4. Chapter 1,3 - Eating cave, part 2

**Chapter 1.3 – Inside the Eating Cave, part 3**

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

' _Grrr….'_

The Dragonborn blinked at the sound. For a second, she could not place it. Then Nala realized what it was and her eyes opened wide. She was standing right in the middle of the entrance to the wolf room.

And this time, they had _definitely_ noticed her.

Their sharp fangs blickered in the torch light. Their hairs were raised and their chains had pulled tight, the only thing keeping them from pouncing the Dragonborn. Next to the wolves stood a single goblin. There was a surprised look on his face. Nala seemed to have caught him completely off guard.

But not for long. The Dragonborn heard footsteps to the right, accompanied by a familiar pale glow. The creature's confused expression was quickly replaced with fear as Mialee, Alatar and Yorda all came running around the corner. He panicked. The goblin spun around on his heels, bolting for the other side of the room. As he ran, he grabbed the nearest iron chain and gave it a violent yank. It immediately came loose, freeing one of the wolves. The beast did not hesitate for a second. It pushed off from the ground, coursing straight towards Nala.

And was halted right in its tracks. From the ground underneath the beast, a whole row of dark roots sprouted forth. They wrapped around the wolf's legs and torso, effectively restraining the beast.. The wolf led out a loud snarl. It tried to break free of the roots, but to no avail. When Nala briefly looked behind her, she saw who had cast the spell. The tiny half-elf had ducked down, touching the ground with a single pale finger. A slightly angry expression lay in her eyes.

'We wasted my rabbit.'

'Forget about the damn rabbit!' Alatar yelled from behind her. 'We have more pressing matters to worry about right now!'

He seemed to be trying to position himself so all of the wolves were in his line of sight. Alatar raised his arm, the same blue arcane energy swirling through his fingers that they had seen back at the clearing. The wizard took a good three seconds to line himself up perfectly. Then he let the energy fly. It turned into a familiar blue frost ray, coursing from his palms straight towards the nearest wolf. It hit him square in the face- but did not seem to do any damage. The wolf shrugged it off, an angry glimmer appearing in its eye. The next second, Alatar was sidestepped by Angelica.

'Out of my way, wizard!'

The Tiefling charged wildly. Almost uncontrollably so. She swung her arm in front of her and opened her palm, shooting off a wild blast of pink arcane energy. It just barely hit the nearest wolf, but with such power that the beast was smacked full-force against the stalagmite. It did not get up again. Angelica glanced at Alatar smugly. The wizard shot her an annoyed look back.

At the same time Mialee, who had been hanging back behind the rest of the group, suddenly shot forward. She ran straight for the back of the room. The goblin from before was still there, desperately trying to make his way up to what seemed to be a small hole at the top of a pile of rubble. He was already halfway up when her arrow hit him from behind, right between his shoulder blades. The goblin let out a shriek, losing his grip on the rocks. He tumbled back down to the ground.

Only two wolves left. This was going well.

And then it wasn't. With an angry roar, the wolf closest to Nala shook off the roots that had kept it down. Its dark eyes switched targets, focusing on the one that had trapped it- Yorda. The Dragonborn swung her sword at the beast, but she was too late. The blade sliced nothing but air as the wolf ducked underneath it, charging towards the tiny half-elf with a rabid gleam in its eyes.

The beast pounced. Yorda rolled out of the way at the very last second, her form suddenly starting to grow bright. A moment later her body had disappeared completely. A white, faintly glowing owl flew out of the light, high above the group and out of the wolf's range. The beast snarled, turning back to Nala instead. But this time, the Dragonborn was ready. She swung her longsword and caught it right in the side of its ribs as it charged. The wolf let out a high-pitched whimper. Blood stained its already filthy coat. A second later the beast slumped down, lifeless.

The last wolf had been unable to break free of its chains. Ferociously snarling, it fought against its restrains and tried to reach the group. It was so thin and malnourished that it looked almost pitiable. Alatar stepped up to the wolf, reading another one of his frost rays.

'I will take care of-'

As he said that, a sparkling blast of pink energy coursed across the room. It struck the wolf right between the eyes, killing him instantly. With a gaping hole in its mottled forehead, the last wolf collapsed to the ground.

'Hey! I had him!' Alatar said angrily, snapping at the Tiefling. Angelica responded with a nonchalant shrug.

'Should have been quicker, wizard.'

He mumbled something under his breath and glared at her.

Nala relaxed, letting out a relieved breath. The battle was over. And they'd all survived again. Both Angelica and Mialee were actually proving to be quite capable fighters, the Dragonborn thought. If not trustworthy, then maybe at least reliable. Especially that weird pink blast seemed to be a very powerful move. Maybe letting the Tiefling watch their backs wasn't such a terrible idea after all. Nala nodded to herself, turning towards Angelica. The dark-haired Tiefling was casually standing with her hands on her hips, looking up at the ceiling.

'Is that an owl?'

The Dragonborn followed her gaze. In the heat of battle, Nala hadn't really processed what had happened. But now she did. Above their heads, a single white owl drew large circles in the air. It seemed to be giving off the same pale glow that Yorda did. She had turned into a bird. Why had she turned into a bird?

And then it dawned on her. The tiny half-elf was a druid. She had beast-shaping abilities. Druids could turn into animals at will, like the little owl that was flying above them right now. The beast looked… a little unsteady, actually. Like it had never flown before. Its wings flapped about arythmically as it descended upon them. Before Nala had a chance to react, the owl had landed on top of her head. Her dragon scales protected her from the claws, and there was barely any change in weight.

'Can it talk?' Angelica asked, looking at the owl with a mild interest.

'I… don't know? I don't think so.'

The Tiefling approached Nala, who was still accommodating the owl with her head. She addressed the bird directly.

'Yorda, can you understand us?'

The owl cawed softly. She seemed to be incapable of doing anything else. Angelica held her gaze for a moment, then gave a single shrug. There was not much that seemed to faze her. She turned her attention back towards the rest of the cavern, looking down the dark hallway.

Nala couldn't see a thing outside the room, but picked up on it as well. The atmosphere had… changed. It had become eerily quiet. Before they had heard at least a faint murmur from further in. Now there was just silence.

That did not bode well.

'We need to move,' Mialee suggested. 'I don't like how quiet it is.'

'Me neither,' Alatar nodded. The wizard had been kneeling beside the goblin, searching his pockets for anything valuable. When he found nothing, Alatar rejoined the others. He took one look at the owl on top of Nala's head and began to speak.

'Go scout ahead, owl.'

That did not seem to have the intended effect. At the sound of the wizard's demanding voice, the small owl puffed out its feathers and turned away from Alatar, seemingly offended. Angelica quickly stepped in between the two.

'Maybe you should try asking nicely.'

'It's an owl.'

'It's still a person,' Nala frowned. 'And she has a name.'

Alatar seemed annoyed. His hood was still pulled far over his head, casting dark shadows across the top of his face. He threw his hands up, stepped back and let Angelica handle it. The Tiefling looked at Yorda, who was still perched up on Nala's head. In the dim torchlight, it looked a bit like a feathery hat. A very tall, weird-looking feathery hat.

'Yorda, Can you scout ahead with Mialee? We'll follow after you.'

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the tiny owl dropped off of Nala's head. It spread its wings mid-fall and arched around the Dragonborn, flying off into the darkness. Mialee immediately followed suit. Soon they had both turned around the corner of the room, vanishing from sight.

'There,' Angelica said, looking smug. She seemed to do that just to get a reaction out of the wizard, but Alatar paid her no attention. He had already started moving further into the cave, as well. It was time to move. Nala was in doubt for a split second. Then she nodded to herself. Instead of moving to follow the others, the Dragonborn marched towards the torch on the wall. She grabbed hold of it, yanked, and broke it right out of its encasing. With the torch in hand, she walked after the others. Angelica looked at the Dragonborn with her eyebrows slightly raised.

'They'll see you coming, you know.'

'I don't care,' Nala reacted. 'It beats not being able to see at all. By a mile.'

Slowly, the group made its way further into the cavern. Mialee and Yorda, in owl form, moved far ahead of the group to find their next batch of enemies. Nala followed far behind, careful not to get close to the scouts. In her heavy armour, she wasn't exactly silent. The complete opposite, actually. The sound of her steps resonated on the cavern walls as her boots hit the ground with a loud _clank, clank, clank_.

'They'll never hear us coming,' Angelica said from behind the Dragonborn, still bringing up the rear. Nala did not even need to turn around to feel the smirk on her face. She chose to ignore her. Instead Nala focused on Alatar, who was walking slightly to her left. The wizard still had his hood up, faced away from the others. His hands were once again hidden in his sleeves and he seemed to be very focused on the path in front of them.

'Hey- wizard. Alatar,' Nala spoke, getting his attention. The wizard looked at her from the corner of his eye, barely turning his head.

'What?'

'I've been wondering this for a while, now. What kind of spell are you using to see in the dark?'

'Oh, just the usual,' Alatar replied. He was still not looking at Nala. In fact, as he said that, he made it a point to turn his head away from her even more.

'What do you mean, "the usual"?'

'It would be too complicated to explain to you, Paladin,' the wizard spoke condescendingly. That was definitely meant as an insult. The Dragonborn huffed, small puffs of smoke trailing out from her nose. Fine. If he was going to be like that, then she would too. Nala briskly stepped up her pace, marching ahead of the wizard with a metallic _clank, clank, clank_.

It was not long before the three of them caught up to the scouts. Mialee was standing right around the corner of another large cavity, big enough to make the ceiling disappear from view. As they approached her, Yorda came flying back in. Her owl form awkwardly flapped its wings for a moment, then spotted Nala and once again found purchase on her head. It was moving quite awkwardly for a supposedly elegant creature. Maybe this was her first time flying? The Dragonborn's scales kept her from being scratched by the owl's claws. Nala actually felt a little flattered that the half-elf apparently felt safe enough to let herself be carried by the Dragonborn. The fact that the tiny owl looked adorable didn't hurt, either.

'So?' Alatar muttered from the back of the group, addressing Mialee. 'Have you found anything?'

The Elf turned away from the room entrance to look at him. The torch cast dark shadows across her face and a golden ornament, gracing the top of her head, gleamed in the fiery light.

'Yes. And no.'

'What is that supposed to mean?'

She gestured towards the dark room.

'It means I have found something- and nothing. There's no one here.'

That didn't sound good. Nala frowned, raising her torch high and stepping into the room. The first thing she saw were two giant stone pillars, going all the way up to the dark ceiling. Two torches adorned the far wall of the room, lighting it up somewhat. Shadows crept over the floor and walls of the cavern. There was a small table in the middle of the room, with rickety wooden chairs scattered around it. All were empty. In fact, as Nala looked around, she understood what Mialee had meant. There wasn't a single goblin in sight. The room was abandoned, a creepy silence pressing down on the group as they slowly and carefully made their way further in.

'I don't like this,' Angelica whispered softly. Her spikey tail was swishing back and forth nervously and her ears were flattened against her head. She wasn't the only one that was creeped out. Nala's hand kept trailing to the longsword on her back, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice. She slowly made her way to the middle of the room, glancing around cautiously. In the back, there was a strange stone contraption that connected to the base of the stream. It vaguely resembled two solid stone doors, times ten. They were swung open. It took Nala a few seconds, but then she realized that this was an improvised version of a sluice. That was the thing responsible for the wall of water that they'd been dragged off by. As all of the water had been used in the trap, the contraption was now empty.

'Perhaps they ran?' Alatar said, looking around the room as well. 'I mean, we did just take out more than ten of them. Not counting the little shit. And their guard dogs. They may have used a back entrance or something and fled.'

That was possible. It would explain the way in which the chairs were thrown over, Nala thought. Maybe they did flee. Their group had proven to be able to handle itself quite well, after all. Better than the Dragonborn initially thought- especially Mialee and Angelica. And goblins were not the toughest creatures. Perhaps they really did get scared, and had decided to abandon their base of operations and flee. It was very possible.

But then what had happened to Sildar?

'There's another room,' Angelica suddenly whispered, pointing to the right side of the chamber. Nala quickly followed her gaze. She was right. There, in the corner, two more torches adorned the entrance to yet another chamber. They could not see the inside. The Dragonborn nodded at Mialee, then gestured towards the entrance. The Ranger immediately understood. She set off for the far side of the room, tiptoeing past the wall so silently that they could barely hear her footsteps. Nala felt a brief pressure on her scalp, after which the owl flew off as well. It joined Mialee, just as the Elf snuck around the corner and disappeared from sight.

* * *

 **Mialee**

* * *

Cautiously, the Elf circled around and into the room. This chamber was much smaller than the one before, only taking up a few dozen feet. It was well-lit, too. Mialee squinted her eyes as her vision adapted to the sudden switch from darkness. This place seemed to be some kind of stock room. Multiple crates were stacked against the walls, forming small towers towards the back. There was another stone pillar in the chamber's middle, though this one was much smaller than the previous ones. And this place, too, was abandoned. Mialee could see a single chair in between the crates. Some nibbled meat lay on the ground, but there was once again no sign of goblins.

All of these observations came to her over the span of about half a second. Yorda came flying in in owl form, awkwardly landing on the ground. The owl, too, did not seem to detect anything. The room was empty. Mialee instead focused on the crates that were lined up against the chamber's walls. They seemed strangely familiar. As she crept closer to the objects, Mialee could see pieces of dried jerky, cloth and crowbars sticking out of the contraptions. The exact same items as what their wagon was currently transporting. Even the crates were the same. The Elf frowned. That was strange. She stood up straight, reaching out for the nearest crate to open the lid.

And everything went to hell.

As she placed her hand on the crate's lid, suddenly a roar sounded through the chamber:

 _'RIPPERRRR! KILL!'_

Mialee jerked up in surprise. What was happening?! But before she could turn around to see, something jumped out right in front of her. The Elf instinctively reached for her swords, pulling them out in the nick of time. Two goblins had been hiding behind the very boxes that she had walked towards. They pounced, swinging their weapons right at Mialee's throat. The Ranger barely had time to parry. Their swords crossed with a loud, metallic _clang_. She pushed them back, readying herself to duck out of the way and reach for her bow-

And something pounced her from behind. Mialee went flying forward into the crates as she felt rows of razor sharp teeth dig into her shoulder, tearing the armour off and piercing her flesh. A sharp pain shot through her upper body. She failed to catch herself and slammed face-first into the crate, the creature still on top of her. Mialee quickly rolled with the blow. She flipped over, landing painfully on her back- but at least she could see her attacker.

She almost wished she hadn't. Rows of sharp, yellow teeth were right in her face, snarling at her. Mialee could see the back of its throat and a large black nose, red blood spatters spread across the fur and then the wolf pounced her again. Before the Elf could raise her swords, it had closed in on her throat. The wolf's teeth shot forward; Mialee only barely managed to jerk her head out of the way to avoid a fatal bite. Instead it chomped down on the side of her armour. The Elf let out a pained cry as she felt its teeth tear through the leather fabric a second time. This was bad. This was very bad.

And then it got even worse- as the wolf retreated, its front teeth got stuck in the leather. It lifted Mialee up with it. A loud snarl sounded, after which the wolf started shaking the Elf around violently. Her swords slipped out of her hands. Its teeth ripped apart the leather part they were stuck in, sending her flying against the nearest crate. A searing pain shot through the back of her head when she slammed into something sharp- and then there was nothing.


	5. Chapter 1,4 - Eating Cave, part 3

**Chapter 1.4 – Inside the Eating Cave, part 4**

 _Oh my god we are FINALLY out of that cave!_

 _*cough*_

 _I mean, of course we'd get out. Because we are skilled, experienced players that absolutely know how to play this game. We didn't keep rolling natural 1's over and over again in there. What are you talking about?_

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

'RIPPERRRR! KILL!'

Nala, Angelica and Alatar all looked up in surprise as they heard the roar from the other room. That turned to instant panic when they heard the loud snarl accompanying it, and the loud crash of something being slammed into wood. Simultaneously, they started running. Nala made it to the entrance first. She drew her longsword and charged around the corner, coming face to face with another wolf. The first thing she noticed was that this one looked a lot healthier than the other three from before.

The second thing that she noticed was that it was clutching Mialee in its jaws. It tossed her body around like a ragdoll. The Elf had fallen unconscious. Fresh blood spattered everywhere, dripping down the wounds in her chest and shoulder.

Nala didn't hesitate. She threw herself in between the downed Elf and her attacker, slamming the beast to the side with her longsword. From the corner of her eyes, the Dragonborn saw two goblins charging at her. They were cut off by Angelica and Alatar, who simultaneously fired a pink and blue arcane blast at the creatures. The one furthest away from Nala froze over, his lower half turning into solid ice as his upper half shouted vile curses at the wizard. It was then immediately slammed into the corner of the room by the other goblin, who had received an Eldritch Blast to the skull. They slammed into the crates, cracking the wood with a loud tearing sound.

And then the Chief stepped into the room.

He was massive. The creature stood more than seven feet tall, towering over even the Dragonborn in height. Thick, brown manes ran over his head and down his back. The creature held a humongous iron morning star in his right hand, letting it rest on his shoulders. Red blood had stained the spikes on his weapon, seemingly enough times to make it change colour permanently. The thing looked truly nasty. With large yellow fangs protruding from his lower jaw, the Bugbear Chief looked down on Nala's group and let out a bellowing laugh.

 _'Puny.'_

Slowly, he lifted the morning star from his shoulders and swung it down in front of him. His beastly eyes locked in on Nala, who was the closest. A feral grin spread across his face.

'I'm going to enjoy this.'

And he pounced. Nala barely had the time to bring up her shield and swing it up in front of her before the Bugbear's morning star slammed into it with a force that almost knocked the Dragonborn off her feet. A terrible screeching sounded when the Bugbear kept going, dragging his weapon across the metal shield and leaving a large scrape. Nala reflexively ducked down. This was a formidable foe. She instinctively felt that if he hit any of her unarmoured weak spots with that morning star, it would be over. The Dragonborn took a step back, moving in front of the unconscious Mialee as she yelled at the rest of the group:

 _'Get rid of that wolf_! Yorda, help me distract this thing!'

In the heat of the situation, they all followed her order without question. Angelica and Alatar turned towards the snarling wolf at the same time that Yorda's owl form swooped down, circling around the Bugbear Chief's head and trying to block his vision. The creature swatted at her angrily. He grabbed at the feathers, only barely missing. Nala quickly moved in for the attack. She swung her longsword, aiming for his stomach. It almost worked. The blade went in for the slice- but at the last moment the Bugbear brought its arm down, the strapped-on armor blocking her sword from slicing into him.

And he retaliated. The Bugbear Chief rammed his morning star into her side, leaving a large dent in the metal that pressed painfully against Nala's ribs. She could not keep this up for long. As Yorda again attempted to block his vision, she quickly stole a glance to her left. Alatar and Angelica were both pelting the wolf with arcane blasts. It had an incredible accuracy, sidestepping most of the damage as it closed in on them. Then a blue and pink beam hit him simultaneously. It seemed to try and freeze and burn it at the same time, making for a horrible charred effect as the wolf fell over. Another Eldritch Blast ensured it did not get up again.

A loud shriek snapped Nala's attention back to the Bugbear. It had grabbed hold of one of Yorda's wings. With a vile smirk, the Bugbear pulled the small owl down from the air, swung his morning star back and slammed it into the bird's side. It was catapulted into the nearest crate with a loud slam. Pale blood trickled down from its paws as the owl's form flickered, then lost its glow. It changed back into Yorda. The pale half-elf was flat on the ground, gasping for air.

'Paladin! Watch out!'

Another swing of its giant mace. Nala failed to bring her shield up all the way, and the massive slam threw her off balance. As she faltered, Nala could see something flash in the corner of her eye. Angelica came running forward, bringing up her hands in front of her. When her thumbs touched, the Tiefling's hands were suddenly engulfed in flames. She spread them back out, swishing through the air in front of her and sending the flames right at the Bugbear. It hit him on the lower arm, making him roar in anger. Nala could see small burns forming on the side of his arm. It wasn't enough to overpower him- but it was enough to make him angry. The bugbear switched targets. He went after Angelica.

The Tiefling hadn't prepared for that. Her ears pressed flat against the sides of her head as she watched the Bugbear come at her, mace swinging. She tried to fire another Eldritch blast, but wasn't fast enough. It nailed her square in the stomach. The Tiefling was stomped into the ground. The Bugbear lifted his morning star for a second blow, barely missing Angelica as she rolled away at the last second. She no longer seemed to be capable of getting up.

'Wizard! Help us!'

Alatar tried. He charged another frost ray in the palm of his hand, firing it at the Bugbear Chief. It did not affect him much. He shrugged it off, the magic only freezing the tips of the furry mane on his head. It did was enough to get his attention, however. The massive Bugbear turned away from Angelica, now focusing on the wizard instead. Alatar reflexively started moving backwards. He was no match for the giant morning star, and he knew it.

'Dragonborn!'

Nala ran up, trying to get between him and their enemy. She lunged at him again with her longsword. It left a long gash in his side, making the Bugbear Chief roar in anger. He reflexively reached behind him. His hand clasped around the fuller of her blade. The Bugbear yanked violently, pulling the sword out of Nala's fingers and throwing it to the side, almost impaling Mialee. In that same motion, he swung his elbow backwards, slamming it into Nala's chest. The Dragonborn gasped as all the air was squeezed from her lungs. She tried to move back from him, but wasn't fast enough. Another strike from his morning star sent the Dragonborn sprawling through the room. She slammed against the wall on the other side. Nala cried out in pain as a splinter from the crates wedged itself in between her armour, piercing the scales underneath.

It was one beating too much. As the Dragonborn scurried back to her feet, she started to feel faint. Her legs were shaking. A quick look around the room made an iron fist of fear clamp around her heart. They were vastly outmatched. Mialee was unconscious, still bleeding out on the ground. Gasping next to her was Angelica, barely able to move anymore. The wizard was still moving backwards, into the large chamber and as the two made eye contact, Nala realized that he was about to abandon them. Her sword was far away from her and the Dragonborn no longer had the energy to raise her shield.

They were going to die here.

The Bugbear struck.

Almost as if in slow-motion, Nala saw him raise his morning star. The weapon drew a large arc in the sky as it swung down towards her, aimed at her head. Suddenly, a flash of white filled the Dragonborn's vision. She did not recognize it at first. Then Nala realized that it was Yorda. The half-elf had gotten back up and threw herself in between Nala and the Bugbear, shielding her from the deadly spikes.

'No!'

Her cry came too late. With a vicious grin, the Bugbear Chief buried his spiked mace in the half-elf's side. It embedded into her skin with a sickening _thud,_ drawing blood. But she remained standing. Nala couldn't see her expression, but as the Bugbear looked down on her, the grin vanished from his face. Her form began to glow brightly, shifting under the giant spiked mace. Nala was momentarily blinded.

A loud, feral roar suddenly echoed through the cavern, making the scales on her neck rise. When the light faded, Nala had trouble believing her eyes. A massive white bear filled up almost a quarter of the cavern chamber. Its claws left deep gashes in the ground as it charged the Bugbear Chief, snarling viciously.

The Bugbear had not been prepared for that. He lifted his morning star into the air, but wasn't fast enough. The bear swiped at it with its paw, tearing open the plate covering his arm and making the Bugbear howl in pain. He staggered back.

It was the last thing he did. As he reached for his sliced arm, the bear let out another feral roar. It suddenly lifted its front off the ground, leaning on its back paws as its massive claws tore into the Bugbear's throat. The first paw sliced right through his skin, tearing his veins and making dark blood gush all over his torso.

The second paw ripped his head off. It was brutal. The head went flying towards the back of the chamber. It landed on the ground at the same time that his body slumped over. The Bugbear crashed down, blood pouring out of his wounds and quickly forming a puddle underneath him.

He was dead.

Cautiously, the Dragonborn stood up. It took a considerable effort. Her legs were still shaky from the encounter, and her upper body was badly bruised. She slowly made her way over to the bear. In a shaky motion, she moved her hand towards the creature.

'Yorda?'

As Nala reached the bear, the creature finally became aware of her presence. It turned around with a loud snarl, teeth bared as the beast swiped at the Dragonborn with its paw. Nala just barely managed to duck out of the way. She kept her hand up, fingers stretched out as her eyes remained fixed on the ground. In a soft voice, Nala spoke to the beast.

'Easy. It's just me. The Bugbear is gone.'

Nala glanced at it cautiously. There were dark streaks running down the bear's neck and belly, in the same pattern as the black marks on Yorda's dress. She could swear she saw a hint of recognition in its black, beady eyes. The bear let out another growl, then calmed down. Its head lowered. Nala stroked its fur, nodding quietly. The marks on the bear began to glow, a light slowly spreading to the rest of its body. Its form started to shift. The Dragonborn removed her hand and shielded her eyes from the light.

When her eyes had adapted to the dark again, her companion had turned back into her normal self. The pale half-elf was sitting on the ground. The two made eye contact. Nala saw Yorda's eyes change as she recognized the person in front of her. Her expression turned into a tiny smile.

'You look funny.'

'A little help here?!' Angelica's voice suddenly sounded from the left. Nala turned her head. The Tiefling was still lying on the floor, bleeding from a nasty wound on her side. She looked like she was about to faint. Nala quickly left Yorda, scurrying over to where she and Mialee were. Especially the Elf was in a bad state- she had lost a large amount of blood and her face was turning pale. She sunk down next to Mialee and placed her hands on the wounds in her chest. A single muttered word, and the glow from her palms started to heal the damage.

As Nala was doing that, she shouted to Alatar:

'Help me out here, wizard!'

But Alatar did not listen to her. The wizard had moved back into the chamber, stepping over the dead Bugbear towards something further in. It was a single chest, wedged in between the few crates that hadn't been clawed to pieces yet. Alatar greedily grabbed hold of it, pulling it out of its hiding place.

'Hey! I'm bleeding out over here!' Angelica yelled in protest. Alatar shot her a single look before turning back to his chest.

'If you have the energy left to yell like that, you'll be fine for another minute.'

More cursing. The wizard ignored it and fiddled with the lock, opening the chest within seconds. Nala give him a disapproving look. She shook her head, focusing on the person in front of her. Mialee's wounds had largely closed, but the elf was still unconscious. It would have to do. The Dragonborn moved over to Angelica, placing her palm on the Tiefling's side. A short glow, and her wounds too began to heal.

'That could have gone better,' Angelica muttered. Nala gave her a single nod. She helped her up, guiding the Tiefling back towards Mialee. The elf was still lying on the ground.

Seconds after the Dragonborn had lowered herself to her side, her eyes started to flutter. Mialee regained consciousness, looking around in a confused manner.

'What happened?'

'We were ambushed,' Nala explained. 'We should have known something was up. You got attacked by a wolf. And a bunch of goblins.'

'And a Bugbear,' Angelica added.

'And that, yes.'

Mialee frowned. She slowly picked herself up from the ground and glanced around the room. Her gaze stopped at the head of the Bugbear, about six feet away from this rest of his body.

'You killed it?'

Nala shook her head, pointing at Yorda. The pale half-elf was still on the other side of the room, rummaging through one of the leftover crates. Mialee's frown deepened as she looked at Yorda in disbelief.

'She did?'

Nala just nodded. She wasn't quite sure how to explain. Not that she didn't know what to say - there had been a very clear case of head-severing going on – but if she hadn't personally witnessed that tiny form turn into a massive, feral bear, she would not believe it either. Nala remembered the charges that they had thrown Yorda into jail for. Resisting arrest, assault, battery and injuring the guard suddenly sounded a lot more probable.

Her train of thought was interrupted by Alatar. All of a sudden the wizard let out a 'Yes!' as he was rummaging through the contents of the chest. He picked it up, walking over to the group.

'Jackpot!' he spoke, his eyes shining with a strange gleam. 'There's some neat loot in here!'

He started emptying the chest, stalling out the contents in front of him. Nala could see a small heap of coins, two glass vials with reddish liquid in them and a strange jade statue of what seemed to be a frog with golden eyes, the latter of which he quickly claimed for himself. Angelica shot him an angry look as the wizard let the statue fall into his mage robes.

'Hey! Who says you can just take that?!'

'Finders keepers,' Alatar shot back. 'Plus, I'm sharing the gold with you, aren't I? Be glad we're all still alive.'

'Not thanks to you, though,' Nala responded. 'You were about to abandon us, weren't you?'

The wizard shot her a dark look, but did not answer the question. Nala would have pushed the issue, but the beating from before had drained her of her energy. So she let it slide. Instead the Dragonborn focused on the rest of the chest's contents. Her hand traveled to the small heap of coins, picking up a piece of silver.

'We'll split this evenly. I recon we've earned it after dealing with that beast,' she said, glancing at the Bugbear's remains from the corner of her eye. On the other side of the room, Yorda finally seemed to be done rummaging through the crates. She joined the group, her hands full with pieces of dried jerky. Nala raised one eyebrow at the sight, but chose not to comment.

'What else do we have?'

'Those are healing potions,' Angelica said immediately, looking at the glass vials. The red liquid seemed to bubble ever so slightly. It made it look like the contents were moving.

'I could use one of those,' Mialee said. She was still a little pale around the eyes and was leaning heavily against one of the crates. That mauling from the wolf had taken its toll on her. It was a shame that they had not found any potions earlier. Nala nodded, handing one of the vials over to the Elf. Yorda looked on with interest.

'What about the other one?' the pale half-elf said. 'I don't need it. And Alatar already has one from before.'

'What do you mean?' Nala then asked, eyeing the wizard suspiciously. He averted his gaze, and it was Yorda that answered for him.

'He found one on the goblins, back outside at the watchtower.'

A short silence fell. Nala looked at Yorda, then at the wizard. To Mialee, then back at Alatar.

'Wait, you've had one all this time?!' she then snapped at the human wizard. 'And you didn't think to help Mialee when she was unconscious on the floor?'

'I was a little occupied with the Bugbear.'

'We were all occupied with the Bugbear!'

'It's fine, Dragonborn,' the elf spoke. 'It was my own mistake. I should have been more careful. It will not happen again.'

That really wasn't the point, Nala thought to herself. But Mialee did not seem to want to spend more words on the matter. So the Paladin gave a mental shrug and dropped the subject, going back to the leftover health potion.

'I can heal myself. I will not need it either.'

'I'll take that, then,' Angelica said. She did not wait for any other input. With a greedy smile on her face, she scooped up the health potion and placed it in her pockets. She and the wizard seemed to share a fondness for material belongings. Combined with their shady first impressions, it made the Paladin more suspicious of the both of them. Nala made a mental note to keep a close eye on her possessions from now on. Nala did not have many of those to begin with, but she did not like the thought of her share of gold later being snatched away by Alatar.

Wait a minute… weren't they forgetting something?

'The human,' Nala thought out loud. 'Why didn't we find Sildar?'

The conversations around her stopped. They looked at each other with unsure expressions on their faces – except for Mialee. She gestured for the others to be quiet and closed her eyes. For a moment, she seemed to concentrate really hard. Then her eyes opened again and the brown-haired elf looked to their right. The room angled up slightly and then curved away. Nala could just barely make out another entranceway from the surrounding torchlight.

'I hear sounds coming from that direction. There are still goblins in these caves.'

'Can you make out how many there are?' Nala asked. Mialee shook her head, stood up and started moving to the back of the room.

'I will scout ahead. Wait until I come back. Like we did last time.'

She seemed adamant on going alone. Maybe the elf wanted to make up for her earlier error in judgement? Nala wasn't sure. She nodded. Mialee returned the nod, once again readying her bow and splitting off from the rest of the group. She passed the torches and, as the path scaled upwards, soon vanished from sight.

'Come on,' Nala gestured to the rest of the group. 'Our fight isn't over yet.'

She followed in Mialee's footsteps, the rest of the group not far behind. At the entrance they stopped, weapon at the ready, waiting tensely for the brown-haired elf to come back. Nala strained her ears, trying to hear what Mialee had picked up on further in. But her sense of hearing just wasn't good enough. She gripped her longsword tightly.

Once again, it did not take Mialee long to come back. The brown-haired elf snuck around the corner, pressing her finger against her lips when Nala opened her mouth to greet her.

As soon as she reached the group, she began to explain in a hushed voice.

'There is a bridge up ahead, leading to a final chamber. Sildar is in there.'

'He's still alive?' Angelica asked in a surprised tone. Mialee nodded once.

'Yes, but he is in a bad state. They tied him up in the back of the room. There are six goblins in there with him. They look as if they are preparing for a meal.'

'Then we have to hurry,' Nala said. Angelica nodded next to her.

'Yes. A dead Sildar means less money.'

The Dragonborn gave her a stern look, which she ignored. Mialee gestured for the rest of the group to follow her. They did, slowly climbing their way up as the path started to turn steep. This time Nala did not need Yorda to guide her. This path was actually well-lit, with torches adorning the wall every few meters.

Soon the path opened up into another section of the cavern. Nala could see the large stream from before underneath them. They were on a bridge, traversing high above the water and out of reach from anyone down below. By now, the Dragonborn too could hear faint murmurs. They had to be getting close. Mialee slowed down. She turned to the rest of the group and pointed at the end of the corridor. It turned around the corner again, but from what Nala could see, the walls once again expanded into another chamber- the final one this time.

As quietly as possible, the group approached the chamber. They stopped just before the turn in the corridor. Nala peeked around the corner, careful to not let her heavy armour make any noise.

The elf had been right. There, in the very back of the room, was a single human. The goblins had chained him to the wall by his wrists. Sildar was hanging limply, apparently barely conscious. Nala could see multiple nasty-looking cuts all over his arms and upper body. None of them seemed to have damaged any vital areas, which indicated that they'd probably been cutting him for their own amusement. The thought alone filled the Paladin with anger. She resisted the urge to storm into the room right away, focusing on the rest of its contents instead.

There were indeed six goblins still in the room. One of them was right over at Sildar's side, holding a sharp, rusty dagger with streaks of blood on it. Two others were on the left side of the room, and the final three stood on the other side, throwing pieces of wood unto a flimsy-looking campfire. They were cackling to themselves, glancing in the direction of Sildar eventually. It was very obvious that they were looking forward to an evening meal – and he was the main ingredient.

'We need to get to him,' Nala whispered. 'Keep him from becoming a lousy dinner.'

'Yorda, can you change into a bear again?' Angelica asked the pale half-elf. Yorda shook her head. That power was apparently exhausted for a while. As Nala racked her brains to come up with a plan of attack, Alatar suddenly stepped forward. His hands were once again hidden deep in his mage robes, but his form was tense and he seemed ready for battle.

'My plan is still the best one. I will cast sleep on everyone in the room, and then we grab Sildar. We could have done this from the beginning.'

'No, we couldn't have. Because we didn't know how many there were before,' Nala countered. 'And if you can't put them all to sleep? Then what?'

'Then you guys come running in and hack away.'

'That's not a real plan!'

'Do you have a better plan?'

'Keep your voices down!' Angelica hissed from the back. 'Or do you want a repeat of the attack from earlier?!'

'I'm just explaining to this Paladin how we should-'

At that moment a loud, blood-curdling scream sounded from within the chamber, interrupting the wizard. That was unmistakably Sidar. Their time was up.

'Do it,' Mialee spoke quickly. She stepped out of the way to let Alatar pass. The wizard nodded, pulled his hood up a little further and turned the corner, with the rest following.

Nala watched as Alatar put out his hand, the familiar blue arcane energy gathering on top of his palm. He held it there for a second, allowing it to settle on his skin. Then he took a deep breath, brought the magic up to his mouth and blew, scattering the magic and sending it right into the final chamber. It worked perfectly. The goblins, all still unaware of their presence, were hit by the cloud simultaneously. The two in the left corner collapsed to the ground in a sprawling heap of arms and legs. The others, however, were not so easily affected. They shrugged it off, looking at their collapsed friends in confusion. None had noticed the people in the entrance yet.

And both the Tiefling and the elf immediately made use of it. They ran in at the same time, taking aim at the group of three that was standing around the campfire. Mialee drew her bow as Angelica quickly brought up her hand, the palm raised towards the goblins. A bright, sparkly pink ray of energy coursed through the air together with a silent, deadly arrow. They hit their marks simultaneously. Two more goblins sunk to the ground, with a hole and an arrow embedded in their foreheads. Dead.

' _Okaal!'_ the remaining goblin yelled out in panic. He and the one next to Sildar were the only ones left standing. The tiny creature looked at the group and reached for its bow. To Nala's right, Yorda suddenly sprang forward. She brought up her arm, snapped her pale fingers – and instantly, the goblin was engulfed in ghostly white flames. Within moments there was nothing left. The goblin sunk down in a pile of burned ashes, his weapon clattering to the ground…

And sending the last goblin into a full-on panic. Just like that, within the span of a mere six seconds, all of its allies were gone. And it knew it was next. The goblin took off like an arrow from a bow, coursing straight for Sildar as it gripped the hilt of its dagger tightly. It ran behind the human and placed the dagger at his throat, causing Nala to cry out in anger.

'Scum!' The Dragonborn roared. 'Let him go this instant!'

The goblin didn't listen. With a wild expression in his eyes, like a cornered animal, it pressed the dagger against Sildar's throat even harder. Nala could see drops of blood starting to form.

' _Back_! All of you- I'll cut him! I will!'

To Nala's right, Mialee twitched. She seemed ready to shoot at the goblin, only stopping herself at the last second. The elf locked eyes with the Dragonborn. In that split second, neither of them knew what to do. If they attacked, the goblin would slit Sildar's throat. Nala had no doubts of that. But if they waited for too long, the same thing would happen. They were at an impasse... again.

Then, from the corner of her eye, Nala saw Yorda approach the goblin. The pale half-elf seemed to glow brightly for just a second, after which she began to speak. When she did, her voice sounded very different from before.

'Calm down. Look at me, please.'

It did.

'You can still walk away from here, little one. If you put your weapon down, we will not harm you.'

It was a blatant lie- but something in Yorda's tone made her words sound very convincing. Nala couldn't quite put her finger on it. Neither could the goblin, who seemed to be affected the most. The wild look of panic in its eyes lessened. It cocked its head slightly, the dagger lowering an inch from Sildar's throat. Yorda nodded. The pale half-elf sunk down to the ground, taking out something that vaguely resembled a quarterstaff. She placed the weapon on the ground.

'I will not harm you. What do you need?'

The goblin seemed to be torn between making a run for it and placing the dagger back at Sildar's throat. It looked at the goblin bodies, scattered on the floor. Slowly, its gaze traveled back to Yorda. With a coarse, almost squeaking voice, it yelled out:

'We- we make deal! You no harm me, yes? You let me go free?'

'I will not harm you,' Yorda spoke softly. 'Put the dagger down, please.'

The blade lowered another inch.

'I put down, we make deal!' the goblin yelled from behind the unconscious Sildar. 'You – you kill Klarg! Then I put weapon down. You kill Chief first!'

By now, both Nala and Mialee were trying to get Yorda's attention- and failing. The pale half-elf looked surprised for a second, after which she answered without thinking.

'Oh, the bugbear? I already decapitated him.'

A silence fell. Nala held her breath, dreading the goblin's reaction to the news of his last ally being dead. She fully expected him to drag his dagger across Sildar's throat and kill him. But that didn't happen. The goblin looked at Yorda for a few seconds, stunned. Then a large grin appeared on his face. He threw his hands in the air, the dagger only barely missing Sildar's eye as he jumped up in unbridled joy.

'The Chief is dead! Klarg is dead! I am the new Chief! I am-'

That last word got stuck in his throat as an arrow, fired with lightning-quick reflexes by Mialee, hit him square in the chest and pierced his heart. With a shocked expression, the goblin looked down at the group. Focused on Yorda. His eyes filled with anger. As he staggered forward, the goblin lifted the dagger to slash at the pale half-elf… and faltered. Blood appeared in the corners of his mouth. The dagger clattered on the dirt next to him. The goblin let out a single, animalistic growl… and fell. He crashed to the ground with a loud _thud_ , a pool of blood immediately spreading out beneath him. He did not move again.

The goblin was dead.

They had won.


	6. Chapter 2,1 - And drink 'em both up

**Chapter 2 – Phandalin, yo!**

 **2.1 - …And drink 'em both up**

* * *

Back outside, the young redhead named Meek was still in the wagon. He was squatting between the crates of supplies, sword in hand, nervously eyeing the front of the vehicle. It had been almost an hour since his group had left him there. The poor boy was as tense as a tightly coiled spring, jumping at the tiniest sounds. His hands were shaking slightly. He gripped his sword a little tighter, wiping a single drop of sweat off his forehead. A new drop formed almost right away. Finally the boy seemed to realize that he was wearing himself out, and relaxed a little.

'Meek!'

Something dark appeared around the corner of the wagon sheet and Meek struck without thinking, bolting forward like a cornered animal. His blade swung down wildly, just barely missing a startled Angelica. She looked at him with a mixture of mild irritation and amusement.

'Now that was just not necessary.'

'Oh! M-miss Dodecahedron!' Meek squeaked. 'I'm sorry!'

'It's a bit early to start pointing things at me, Meek,' Angelica grinned. The boy once again turned purple, making her grin widen even further. Before Meek could stammer out a reply, the sheet flaps on the other side of the wagon suddenly opened. The golden, scaled head of Nala came into view, together with a greying, badly battered man in his fifties- Sildar Hallwinter.

'Master Sildar!'

With some effort, Nala lowered Sildar into the wagon. He was covered in bruises and cuts and seemed to be in considerable pain. But he was still alive. The grey-haired human let out a strained huff when he sat down against the nearest crate. Then he saw Meek, and the stern look in his eyes softened.

'I am glad to see you in good health, master Everheart.'

'Y-you too, sir! To see you alive, not- I mean-'

'Thank you,' Sildar nodded, interrupting his ramblings. 'I consider myself fortunate as well. If not for our band of adventurers, I would not have made it out with my life.'

By now, the rest of the group had arrived as well. Yorda re-took her place at the front of the wagon, near the oxes. Angelica climbed in next to Sildar and Nala and Mialee flanked the vehicle. They were all in decent shape, if a little worse for wear. Meek looked at them for a moment, impressed.

That turned to instant fear when the sheet flaps parted a second time and a tiny goblin came flying in. He hit the wooden floor with a dull _thud_. Alatar came climbing in after him. He seemed to be disappointed that the creature was still asleep.

After a few seconds of silence, the group eventually turned to Sildar.

'I believe you owe us an explanation,' Nala spoke, from next to the wagon. Angelica gave a single nod.

'Indeed. You said there might be "A few bandits". Those were not a few bandits, and we just risked our lives to haul you out of there. I want to know what is going on.'

Sildar let out a fatigued sigh. He wiped a few grey hairs out of his face, having considerable difficulty raising his arm.

'Well, spill it!' Alatar sneered. He seemed to be in a bad mood. It earned him a warning stare from Nala, but the wizard did not seem to care much for that, either.

'All right. You saved my life. I owe you at least that much.'

He sat up a little straighter. Sildar seemed to brace himself, taking a deep breath. He looked up, glancing at everyone in the wagon, and began to speak.

'The two of us- Gundrin and me- were captured by those Goblins for a reason. A few weeks ago, Gundrin and his brothers found a map to the location of what they think might be Wave Echo Cave.'

'Wave whatnow?' Angelica responded. From the front of the wagon, Yorda scooted over as both Nala and Mialee glanced inside curiously.

'It has a long history.'

'Then give us the short version,' Alatar said impatiently.

'It is a mine, rich in ore and magical properties. Many decades ago, an alliance of Dwarves and Gnomes made a pact to share in its riches. The nearby village of Phandalin reaped its benefits as well. Word of the cave's rare minerals and magical weapons traveled very far very quickly, until it reached a band of orcs in the north. They swept in overnight to claim it as their own. A bloody battle ensued, killing nearly everyone involved in the pact. As a result, the location of the cave was lost to history.'

'Damn them,' Mialee said in a dark voice. She seemed particularly bothered by this story.

Nala and Yorda gave her a curious look, but remained silent.

'And you say your Dwarf friend- Gundrin- found a map to this place?' Alatar asked. There was a greedy look in his eyes. He did not seem to have listened to the rest of the story at all, only focusing on the word "riches".

'He did. Gundrin and his brothers are fairly certain that they have uncovered the lost cave once again. As a member of the Lord's Alliance, I took it upon myself to be his guard and escort.'

'You're not doing a very good job, then,' Alatar replied. The greying human shot him an angry look.

'I am aware of that, thank you.'

'Anything else that we should know about, while you're at it?' Angelica asked, cutting in between them.

'Yes. One of the people in my alliance is missing. His name is Iarno Albrek. He was sent to keep an eye on things , but we lost contact with him shortly after his arrival in Phandalin. I do not know what has happened to him, but I fear the worst. For now, though, Gundrin's safety is of a higher priority.'

'Now hold on a minute,' the Tiefling replied. Her eyes were narrowed and there was a frown on her face that clearly indicated that she wasn't happy with what she was hearing.

'Your buddy got kidnapped over some map to some magical cave. Another one of your buddies is missing. And you just got your ass handed to you by a bunch of lowlife goblins.'

'That is the gist of it, yes,' Sildar nodded.

'And you were supposed to guard that dwarf to keep this from happening.'

'Well… yes.'

Slowly, a mocking smirk spread across Angelica's face. The Tiefling leaned back against the crates.

'Are you _sure_ you're fit for the Lord's Alliance? Aren't they supposed to be, you know – less of a royal screwup?'

'Angelica!' Nala snapped at her. The Tiefling just shrugged. Her smirk widened when she saw Sildar's face turn red with silent anger.

At that moment, the heap of green goblin on the ground suddenly moved. It jumped up and bolted towards the wagon's exit, arms still bound and legs flailing. Alatar caught it right as it reached the sheet flaps. He gave the creature a swift kick to the stomach. The goblin doubled over, wheezing heavily as all of the air was squeezed from its lungs by Alatar's foot. Before it could do anything else, the wizard had fished a nasty-looking dagger out of his pockets and pressed it to the goblin's throat.

'Good! I've been waiting for you to wake up, little shit,' he said, a wicked grin on his face. It was such a sinister mask that it sent the goblin into a panic. The little creature squirmed, backing away as far as possible.

'No! No kill! No kill!'

'That depends entirely on you,' the Tiefling said ominously. 'Now start talking. Why did your group ambush those men and what do you want with Gundrin?'

That did not seem to do much to convince the goblin. It glanced about the group with a panicked look in its eyes, still trying to get away from the wizard. Alatar still pointing the dagger at it did not help, either. The goblin's gaze finally stopped on Nala, who was glancing in from the front of the wagon.

'You... you swears! You swears not to harm! I talks, you set me free!'

'If you tell us, we will set you free,' Mialee spoke. The dragonborn gave a single nod.

'Indeed. You will not be harmed. I give you my word.'

That seemed to do the trick. The goblin quickly started speaking, almost falling over himself to get the words out before Alatar could get close to him again.

'We was asked! Asked to catch them by Black Spider.'

'Who is the Black Spider?' Alatar asked. He once again grabbed at the goblin, this time pulling it up by its ear. 'Tell us, right now!'

'I don't knows! I don't knows! Klarg our boss, and he boss of Klarg. Says to bring the Dwarf and his map to Cragmaw castle. Says the Dwarf is worth money, but the map worth more money. We do as Black Spider says.'

'The castle- where is it?' Angelica asked. Her tail was swishing back and forth slightly, and she was clearly interested. On her left, Sildar watched the interrogation intently.

'I have heard of that place. The authorities have tried many times to find it, but so far they've not been successful.'

'Seriously? You can't find a big massive castle in the damn woods?'

' _Angelica!'_

'Yes! Is hidden castle. Hidden from view, like our cave was. I knows location. I can tells you!' The goblin yelled. Alatar pulled its ear even harder and pressed the dagger against its throat.

'Tell us, then, if you value your life.'

'I tells, I tells!' the goblin whimpered. 'Cragmaw castle is in the north. Hidden in forest, between large trees. Goblin trails will lead you there. Hard to see for not-goblins, also hidden. That the way to Cragmaw castle.'

Sildar nodded at that information, seemingly deep in thought. The rest of the group did not need to be able to read minds to know what he was thinking: his friend Gundrin had been taken to that castle. He was probably in dire need of rescue. But Sildar was still battered and bruised, with cuts and slices all over his body. Chasing after the kidnappers right now would place him at a big disadvantage. Nala and Angelica could see the wheels turning in his head and, eventually, Sildar seemed to come to a conclusion.

'We should press on to Phandalin. Recover for a night at their inn. Your payment is in that village, as well. We can set off for Cragmaw castle in the morning.'

'Whoa, there,' Angelica suddenly said, tail moving up and down slowly. 'We haven't said anything about going to the castle with you.'

'Excuse me?'

Angelica's grin widened.

'We were hired to deliver these goods to Phandalin. We have already gone out of our way to rescue you. Laying siege to a castle is not within our paycheck, my friend. You may want to sweeten that deal a little, or we walk out right now.'

Sildar did not seem intimidated in the slightest. His jaw clenched, a steely look appearing in his eyes. In a stone cold voice, he spoke:

'I will pay you five hundred gold pieces to clear out that castle.'

A momentary silence fell. For a second the group just looked at Sildar, dumbfounded. A single gold piece could feed a family for a month. And he was offering five hundred times that much. Both Alatar and Angelica perked up considerably.

'Well, then! That changes things. Count me in!' the wizard said, in a very content voice. The greed was dripping off every syllable, to Mialee's visible dismay. The elf's silent judgement went ignored, though, as Angelica nodded enthusiastically as well.

'Sildar, you have a deal!' the Tiefling smiled. She reached out her arm towards him. He grabbed hold of her hand, shaking on the deal.

Next to the pair, the goblin was getting visibly more nervous. Its eyes darted back and forth between the group and the wagon's opening. When they shook hands, it stammered:

'I speak, yes? Now you set me free?'

Its hopeful eyes were locked on Nala's figure, but the Dragonborn wasn't returning his gaze. With a slight frown, she looked at the group.

'I don't know... is it safe to let him go?' She asked. For a moment, Alatar seemed genuinely surprised. He looked at the gold-scaled Dragonborn, blinking a few times. Then the wizard regained himself and quickly replied.

'Of course not. He will run to the castle and warn them that we're coming, or follow us and kill us in our sleep. He needs to die.'

'You did promise that you were going to set him free,' Sildar spoke, frowning. That caught the attention of Mialee. The brown-haired elf, who had been silent throughout most of the interrogation, suddenly approached the goblin. Its gaze switched to her, its eyes hopeful.

'Yes! Set free, yes? You said you would.'

'I did,' the elf nodded. Then a shadow fell over her face, and her voice turned icy as she looked down on the bound creature.

'I said I will set you free. Free from your misery, that is.'

The statement sent a chill through the wagon. In that instant, multiple of the people there realized that they had misjudged the brown-haired elf. Even Nala seemed surprised. None had expected the ranger to be so conniving. But Mialee stayed where she was, merely waiting for someone else to move instead. In fact, everyone was looking at Nala. They seemed to be waiting for her to make a decision. That apparently fell to her this time. The Dragonborn looked at the goblin, still hesitant about what to do. Her frown deepened as she saw at the goblin's pleading face. She _did_ promise. She had to make the decision here. It was her responsibility.

But it was Alatar who spoke up, not Nala.

'Stop the wagon.'

Meek did, confused. Before anyone had the chance to react, Alatar had grabbed hold of the goblin by his scruffy neck and picked him up. In an uncanny feat of strength, the wizard raised his arm and flung the creature over his head. It went flying out, quickly disappearing from sight as it passed the sheet flaps. A second later, they heard a loud _thud_ as it hit the ground.

'What are you-'

Too late- Alatar had already jumped after the goblin. It was lying face-down on the ground, unable to get up because of its restraints. As it saw the wizard approach, the goblin started squirming frantically.

'No! _No! I told,_ _ **I told**_ _!_ ''

'Thanks for that,' the wizard grinned. With a fluid motion he took out the dagger from before, lunged, and grabbed hold of one of its long ears. He pulled it up and then, without hesitating, dragged the blade across the goblin's throat. Thick, dark green blood gushed out of the wound, quickly forming a puddle underneath the two. The goblin was gone in seconds. Its body went limp. Alatar let go of the ear, letting its body fall down to the ground.

He turned back to the rest of the group, where a silence had fallen. Meek had gone completely pale, looking at the dead goblin with a shocked expression on his face.

'What?' Alatar said, grinning slightly. 'He would have warned the rest that we're coming.'

Meek didn't respond. The violence seemed to have shocked him, badly. Yorda, who was still sitting next to the young human, placed a single hand on his arm.

'He is right, Meek,' the pale half-elf said softly. 'That goblin was about to eat Sildar when we found him. He was a threat to our survival.'

'Yeah, what she said,' Alatar nodded. The grin was still plastered to his face. 'Come on, then. We're wasting daylight.'

* * *

 ** _That evening_**

* * *

With a loud creak, the door to Phandalin's tavern opened. Walking in came Angelica and Alatar, who had split off from the rest of the group and made their way to the local stores. They'd planned to go shopping, but had been unsuccessful. It turned that out the local shop owner was not keen on strangers. And Angelica with her horns and Alatar in his dark robes stuck out like a couple of sore thumbs. Angelica in particular was in a foul mood because of it.

The Tiefling and the wizard walked into the tavern's interior. They immediately spotted the rest of their group. They were in the very back. Sildar and Nala had shoved two large tables together to make enough room for all of them. The grey-haired human seemed to have recovered quite a bit, his face no longer a sickly pale.

'We were waiting for you!' Sildar called out as soon as he spotted the pair. 'Come, join us!'

They did. Angelica sat down on the chair next to Yorda. Alatar took the spot on the other side of the table, next to Mialee. As soon as they did, the Tiefling noticed something white sticking out of the metal pot attached to Nala's backpack. With raised eyebrows, Angelica pointed at it.

'There's something in your pot.'

'That's Kippei!' Nala said in a content voice.

'Excuse me?'

'We bought a chicken!' Yorda said enthusiastically. Her small frame was in stark contrast with the massive Dragonborn sitting on the other side of the table. As if to prove her statement, the chicken decided to use that moment to stick its head out of the pot and cluck at Angelica. For a split second, the Tiefling was at a loss for words.

'You... bought a chicken.'

'Yes.'

'And you named it Kippei.'

'Indeed.'

Yorda mingled in the conversation, looking at the chicken with unmasked excitement.

'It looks delicious! When will you eat it?'

'We are _not_ eating my chicken!' The Dragonborn replied to the pale half-elf.

'But it's a chicken! What else would you do with it?'

'If you must know, I will raise Kippei as a pet!'

Angelica shared a look with Mialee. The elf merely shrugged, not getting involved in the conversation.

At that moment a fair-skinned barmaid came up to the table. She was dressed in soft tavern clothes, her brown hair pulled back into a simple ponytail. There was a single mole visible just below her cheek. Her eyes darted across the group, momentarily stopping on Angelica and Nala. Then she seemed to regain herself. With a polite smile, she addressed the people at the table.

'Welcome, travellers. Can I get you anything? A meal? Something to drink?'

'A drink would be nice,' the Dragonborn nodded eagerly. 'I think we've deserved it.'

'Indeed,' Sildar agreed. 'It has been quite the eventful day. We can talk business in the morning. For now I am happy to still be alive, thanks to all of you. So tonight, we drink!'

That was met with approving cheers from both Angelica and Nala. The Dragonborn turned to the barmaid with an exited gleam in her eyes.

'Waitress! Give us a cask of your finest ale!'

'Grape juice for me, please.'

Nala just stared at the wizard.

'Grape juice? Really? We just risked all of our lives and you're going with _grape juice?'_

'Exactly. Do you have a problem with that, Dragonborn?'

Nala could only shrug.

'Fine, as you wish. One cask of your finest ale _and some_ _grape juice_.'

She left, and promptly came back carrying a small barrel and six iron mugs. And a bottle. Filled with what was probably grape juice. Judging by the effortless way she maneuvered the room with the large barrel and placed it on the group's table, this apparently happened a lot around here. The barmaid quickly divided the mugs among them, accepting the silver coins that Nala was holding up. The Dragonborn wasted no time at all in getting started. She grabbed hold of the small faucet at the bottom of the barrel, held her mug under it and turned the faucet to the right. A deep red liquid began pouring out.

Nala waited for the mug to fill up completely, passed it to Angelica and immediately reached for the next cup. Her enthusiasm caused Sildar to chuckle.

'What is that strange drink?' Mialee suddenly asked, eyeing the contents of Angelica's mug suspiciously. The Tiefling shot her a curious look.

'It's ale, of course. What else is it supposed to be?'

'It smells strange,' Yorda noted from her other side. Angelica looked back and forth between the two for a second. Then she raised a single eyebrow.

'Don't tell me you've never had ale before.'

'Ale?' The pale half-elf asked. Nala was looking at her with a surprised look on her face now, too.

'Yes, ale. Booze. Alcohol. Are you two serious? You've never had it?'

She passed a mug to Mialee, who scoffed at the Dragonborn.

'My people indulge in spirits, yes. It is light and colourless. Not this... whatever this is.'

'As I said, it's ale,' Nala replied. 'And I guarantee it's better than whatever weak concoction the elves can make. Try some of it, Mialee.'

She looked highly suspicious, but accepted the ale. Before long, everyone at the table was holding a mug of something or other. Sildar stood up from his seat, raising his own mug high.

'A toast! To the delights of being alive. Which I still am, thanks to all of you fine people! Cheers!'

The rest of the table toasted with him. Yorda observed for a split second, then quickly raised her own mug as well. As everyone drank, the pale half-elf curiously sniffed at the liquid in her hands. Angelica, who was sitting next to her, chuckled at the sight.

'Go on, drink it.'

'It is not water.'

'It's flavoured water. Sort of. Trust me, it's harmless.'

As she looked at the Tiefling, the pale half-elf seemed to come to a decision. She brought the mug up to her mouth, taking a careful sip. Then another. For a second, nothing happened.

Then Yorda's eyes turned glassy. She placed the mug on the table, glancing at all the people around her. Her body started to sway a little. Then, without warning, the pale half-elf turned in her chair and threw her arms around Angelica, who almost spilled half of her ale.

'Wassinnis drink?' She slurred, her eyes glassy and unfocused. 'Issahmoshtlike... deshfour o'ya.'

For a moment, the Tiefling seemed completely caught off guard. She tried to remove her arms as Yorda continued babbling out incomprehensible sentences. Nala, recognizing her behaviour for what it was, let out a bellowing laugh.

'She's drunk!'

'What? How?!'

'Must have drank too much.'

'Two sips?!'

'Apparently that's too much.'

'Ayye, deshenotieflingsh inschewoodsh! Didyeknow?' Yorda slurred, pointing at Angelica's horns. The Tiefling had succesfully pushed her back on her chair. By now she too was seeing the funny side of this. With a devious grin, Angelica moved the mug with ale back in her direction.

'Here, have some more.'

Sildar was looking at this with a mildly concerned expression on his face. 'Actually, maybe you shouldn't-'

'Owkay!' Yorda said happily, taking the mug from Angelica and taking another sip. The effects showed almost right away. A slightly darker grey blush appeared on her cheeks, her lips locked into a drunken smile. Mialee looked her own drink over with even greater suspicion, but also a mild interest. Carefully, the elf took a single sip. It did not seem to have much of an effect. She exhaled in relief, then began drinking for real.

'You can keep these coming,' Nala said to the barmaid, who had lingered not too far from the group. Her paw was resting on the now nearly depleted cask of ale. The girl nodded, turning around to get another one.

'Here, take another sip.'

'Mmmkay!'

All of a sudden there was a bright flash. Nala turned around in surprise just as Yorda's body started glowing in a dazzling white, her form rapidly shrinking in size. The next second, a white owl had replaced the half-elf. It cawed happily, spreading its wings and taking flight. People let out startled cries as the bird flew over their heads. Alatar let out an amused chuckle. Then, without warning, the owl turned around mid-flight and coursed straight towards the exit, soaring through the open doors.

'Shit! Catch it!'

'I'll get her,' Angelica grinned. She chugged the remainder of her drink, slammed the mug on the table and got up. The Tiefling was clearly enjoying the chaos. She trudged over to the front door, vanishing from sight as she turned the corner.

'Ah, that hit the spot!' Nala said happily, slamming down the now empty mug. She clawed for the barrel again, pouring herself another drink. Sildar looked at her doing that with an amused smile on his face.

'I have to say, you're the strangest band of adventurers that I have seen in a long time.'

'That makes two of us,' Nala grinned back. 'But so far we're not doing so bad, are we?' 'Definitely not. You are all quite skilled.'

'You saved master Sildar from a cavern full of goblins! You're incredible,' Meek nodded. There was a hint of adoration in his voice. The Dragonborn looked slightly flattered, downing another drink.

Meanwhile, Angelica was outside, looking up amusedly at a very drunk owl. The creature was soaring in circles, going up and down in random, uncontrolled patterns and cawing happily. After a few minutes of this, the Tiefling decided to call out.

'Yorda! Come on back inside. I'm not done drinking yet!'

The owl turned her head, saw Angelica on the ground and turned around mid-dive. That proved to be too much for her wings to handle. She coursed straight to the ground, her form shimmering as it turned back into a half-elf – and rammed straight into Angelica. The two collided with a loud _thud_. It was forceful enough to knock the Tiefling down, slamming into the cobblestones below. She ended up sprawled out underneath Yorda.

'..Ow.'

'Owwssshorry!' The pale half-elf said in an apologetic voice. 'I tryyytoaim.'

'Yeah. I guess this makes us even.'

She pushed Yorda off, got back up and directed the glowing elf back to the front door of the tavern. By now, Sildar had retired upstairs. The two reached their table at the same time that the barmaid from before came around for another round of drinks.

'If I may, would you like to try the tavern's specialty?'

'What specialty?' Nala asked. Her curiosity was definitely peaked.

'We call it "Slime in the Coconut". It's quite a hit among the locals of Phandalin. As first-time customers, I could give you a discount,' she said, winking at Alatar. The wizard replied with a slight smirk. Nala did not seem to notice the exchange, as she excitedly dug around in her pockets for some more pieces of silver.

'I'll have five of those, please!'

'Certainly,' the barmaid smiled. She promptly left and came back with a tray with five tiny glasses. They were filled with a strange mix between green and purplish liquid. She swiftly passed them around at the table, giving everyone a glass but Alatar. Even Meek received his share, although he was looking at the glass rather nervously. Nala raised her own glass with great enthusiasm. The cup was so small that it was almost completely covered by her scaly hand. Yorda tried to grab hers, but ended up knocking it over accidentally. The Dragonborn merely laughed and yelled:

'To a good adventure! Bottoms up!'

They cheered, toasted, and drank.

And everything went to hell.

Nala, Mialee and Angelica all turned really pale really fast. The brown-haired elf threw her hands over her mouth. All three of them jumped up and bolted towards the exit, at the same time that Meek's head hit the table with a large _thud_. He was down. The boy had gone from slightly tipsy to knock-out in less than three seconds. Yorda and Alatar, the only ones that did not drink, witnessed these events with varying responses. Alatar merely snickered, and Yorda started poking Meek's head with a confused expression on her drunken face.

'Wha? Whazzappened?'

Meek was unresponsive. From outside, they could hear vague belching sounds. The barmaid came back to collect their glasses. There was a knowing smile on her lips that made Alatar's grin widen even further. Amused, the wizard leaned towards her.

'That packs quite the punch.'

'Every time,' the barmaid winked. On the other side of the table, Yorda had apparently come to the decision that Meek had passed out from fatigue, and needed to get to a bed. Her tiny frame stood up from her seat and tried to pull the young man with her. She failed – Meek slid down onto the floor, together with the iron pot that Nala had placed Kippei in. The white chicken immediately jumped out and started strutting around the tavern. By now, it was mostly empty, and the bird only got a few curious stares.

Yorda tried dragging Meek off a few more times, after which she apparently realized that it was impossible. She turned around, staggered off and went over to the barkeep. In a drunken slur she began to talk to him. It did not take long for the barkeep to understand what she was trying to say. They seemed to have experience with drunken slurring. He trotted over, grabbed the unconscious Meek and flung him over his shoulder. Yorda followed as he carried the young redhead up the stairs.

'I apologize for the behaviour of my associates,' Alatar spoke to the barmaid, with a sly grin on his face. 'They lack... a certain grace.'

He glanced at the front door. The maid saw him look and chuckled.

'Don't worry, we're quite used to such behaviour around here. As long as they don't end up burning the tavern down, we won't mind.'

By now, the tavern was nearly empty. She winked at him again, put her plate down on the table and approached the seat next to the wizard.

'Would you mind if I joined you?'

'Not at all,' Alatar responded. He sounded very pleased. At that moment, the front doors opened again. Angelica, Nala and Mialee came staggering back in. Their faces were a little green around the nose. Mialee went over to her chair and sat back down, her legs a bit wobbly.

'That was... something. What on earth was in that drink?' the brown-haired elf asked the barmaid. She only got a wink in return.

'That's a trade secret. Would you like another?'

'Dear gods, no.'

The barmaid chuckled. At that moment, Angelica and Nala noticed the chicken strutting about the tavern.

'Hey. Isn't that Kippei? Who set the chicken loose?'

The wind blowing in from the open doors caught its attention. Kippei turned its head towards the entrance and then, without warning, bolted for the doors.

'Quick! Catch it!'

Nala charged her pet. It was about to run out the door. In her drunkenness, the Dragonborn spun around mid-step to grab for the fleeing chicken. It was one turn too many, with one too many a drink. She slipped. The Dragonborn fell flat on her stomach. All of the air in her lungs got squeezed out from the impact. And –as she was a Dragonborn- it came out in a fiery blast or orange flames, shooting across the wooden floor and completely engulfing the chicken. Poor Kippei burned to a crisp. Within seconds there was nothing left but a charred, black chicken carcass.

But that was not the end of it. Nala's flame breath was powerful enough to skip past the chicken and brush against the wooden doors. Before anyone had the chance to react, the entrance was on fire. The flames wrapped around the building's dry wood, quickly spreading all over the doors. The barmaid let out a squeal.

'I've got it,' Alatar said. He got up and – while very deliberately glancing at the barmaid – trudged up to the flaming doorway. A wave of his hand caused a spray of water to appear, soaking the frame. The fire quickly died out. It did not take more than five seconds. The remaining people in the tavern let out a relieved sigh. Alatar looked down on the Dragonborn with a disapproving look on his face. Nala had passed out on the spot, sprawled out on the floor. He left her there. The wizard went back to his table, leaving Angelica and Mialee to deal with the mess.

Not that they actually did that, of course. As they looked down on the chicken, Angelica suddenly got a devious expression in her eyes. She glanced at Mialee, then pointed at the charred remains.

'Hey, elf.'

'What?'

'Want some chicken?'

Mialee gave her a blank stare. Looked down at the chicken. Looked back at the Tiefling. Then the brown-haired elf merely shrugged, reaching down for the charred carcass.

'Why not. Would be a waste otherwise.'

They, too, left Nala there. Mialee picked up the remains of Kippei, following Angelica to the other side of the room and up the stairs. Before morning, there would probably be nothing left. Alatar and the barmaid watched them go, with a charred chicken's carcass in Mialee's arms and an expectant glimmer in the eyes of Angelica. Soon, both had vanished from sight. It was just the two of them now, plus the barkeep.

Which soon proved to be two after all. The man finished cleaning the counter, grabbed his belongings and moved towards the tavern entrance.

'Make sure to lock up, Elsa. I'll see you tomorrow.'

'Will do,' the barmaid named Elsa replied in a cheery tone. As soon as the man had closed the door behind her, she turned towards Alatar. The girl was very close; their knees were almost touching and Alatar could see the mole on her cheek in the dim candlelight.

'So tell me,' Elsa spoke. 'How does someone like you end up in a group like this?'

'Oh, you know,' the wizard replied, trying to be nonchalant. 'Things happen in large cities. You run into some people. Help out with some problems. You kill some goblins and bugbears on the way.'

'Really? I've heard that those are really dangerous. Your group took on one of those?'

'We did. I bested him with ease,' Alatar bragged. 'They are not as dangerous as they say. For me, at least. He wasn't the hardest thing I've had to deal with.'

A slight smirk appeared on Elsa's face. She subtly shifted her weight on the chair, making their knees touch. The effect of it was not lost on Alatar. In a low voice, Elsa said:

'You must have seen some amazing things on your travels. Would you like to share them with me? In a more... private environment?'

She winked again. Alatar did not have to think twice. He finished his drink, placed it on the table and got up to follow Elsa. She led him to a door in the back of the room, close to the bar. They stepped through and locked the door behind them. That left no-one but Nala, still unconscious on the tavern floor.

It proved to be an interesting night... for all of them.

Idiots.


	7. Chapter 2,2 - We're bandits, yo!

**Chapter 2.2 – We're bandits, yo!**

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

Nala felt a strange sense of deja-vu when she awoke to a pounding headache coursing through her skull. The gold-skinned Dragonborn opened her eyes to find herself face-down, sprawled out on the tavern floor. Not a good idea. Her neck hurt. Scratch that, her entire body hurt. As Nala slowly sat up and stretched her limbs, she could feel herself getting woozy.

Yup. Definitely a sense of deja-vu going on there.

The Dragonborn shook her head to get rid of the grogginess. In the distance, Nala could hear what she thought was Angelica's voice. She couldn't make out what the Tiefling was saying. She couldn't remember all that much about last night either. Slowly, Nala stood up, placing her hand out to steady herself.

What... had happened?

The Dragonborn racked her brain to recall last night's events. No dice. All she could remember was the beginning of the evening, and a cask of ale. No, wait... two casks of ale. And some... weird green-purplish drink? Nala frowned. There was something else. It was on the tip of her tongue, but... what was it again? It had something to do with Kippei-

A painful memory flash shot through her head as Nala suddenly remembered. Her pet had been on the floor. Bolting away from her, towards the exit. She'd tried to grab it... and slipped on the floor. After that, everything had turned black.

But the Dragonborn did not need the rest of her memory. Judging from the scorch marks on the front door, Nala knew exactly what had happened.

She'd burned Kippei alive.

Within two hours of owning her.

The Dragonborn groaned, burying her face in her hands. A terrible sense of guilt overcame her. Nala had already been feeling bad. Now she felt even worse. It had been a long time since she'd been that drunk. Since she's lost control over her inner flames. And on an innocent chicken, no less.  
She groaned again, turning around to the bar. Angelica was there, together with the barmaid from last night. She was looking at the two of them with a knowing, slightly awkward expression on her face.

Oh. Right. She'd passed out on the floor, too. Great. Nala pushed down her shame and approached the barmaid.

'Good morning,' the girl said cautiously, looking at the huge Dragonborn approaching. 'You, uh, were a bit too heavy for our employees to lift. So we let you sleep on the floor. Free of charge.'

'Thanks,' Nala mumbled. 'I, uh, normally don't get that bad after drinking.'

'I did say our specialties were a hit,' she winked. Angelica chuckled knowingly. From the corner of her eye, the Dragonborn could see Mialee and Yorda coming down the stairs.

'Speaking of last night,' the Dragonborn continued, 'Do either of you know what happened to my chicken? After I... well... you know.'

For a second, it seemed as if the barmaid was going to answer. Then she glanced to her right, and suddenly closed her mouth again. Nala glanced over as well, towards Angelica. The Tiefling had walked up next to her and put a single hand on her arm.

'There was nothing we could do for it,' Angelica spoke. 'We ended up throwing it out. Right?'

She glared at the barmaid, who glanced back rather nervously.

'R-right. I'm very sorry about your bird, Dragonborn.'

Nala picked up on the pause in her voice, but was in too gloomy a mood to pursue it. She turned to her right, only to see the nearest door open and Alatar come trudging out. The wizard, too, did not seem to be in the best of moods. He saw Nala and shot her a dark, almost threatening look. At this point, it was more than she could handle. The Dragonborn abruptly turned around and muttered:  
'I'm going for a walk.'

She did not wait for an answer. Nala stormed right out of the tavern. In seconds she cleared the street. The Dragonborn kept going, barely watching where she was headed as she blindly trudged down the village path. By now it wasn't early morning anymore, and a few people had to jump out of her way to avoid getting trampled by the paladin. Not that she noticed.

Finally, after a good ten minutes of walking, the Dragonborn slowed down. Her legs had carried her quite a ways across town. She was in a small alleyway, with a single, worn-down bench to the side. With a huff, Nala sat down on it. She was in a terrible mood. The Dragonborn tried to calm herself down a little by breathing in and out deeply, but stopped when she noticed that small flames were coming out of her nostrils. Not good. She usually didn't get this upset this easily. What was going on?

Nala folded her hands together, forcing herself to think it over. Burning the chicken made her feel terrible, yes. It was placed in her care when she bought it. Roasting the bird to death was a horrible way to care for a pet. But her feelings of dismay went beyond that.

It took Nala a few seconds, but then she realized the true source of her distress. She had broken a promise. A paladin's promise. It hadn't even registered in her head until now. Nala had sworn to keep that goblin from being harmed. He'd been a wicked creature that until then had actively tried to harm her group, but that was beside the point. Keeping your promises was important to every Paladin order, to the point of it being sacred.

And she had broken hers. If she had sworn her oaths already, that would have been proper grounds to cast her out of her order. She would be an outcast. An exile. The thought made her shudder. She clasped her hands together tightly, digging her feet into the soil beneath her. She would do better. She needed to do better. To prove herself worthy.

And what did she do instead? She got drunk and firebreathed a poor chicken that had been entrusted to her care. She burnt it alive. And she didn't even have the remains to bury.

At that moment, Nala could hear the sound of footsteps coming around the corner. She raised her head to see Yorda, running down the path towards her. The pale-half elf slid to a stop inches away from the bench, her cheeks flushed. Even though Nala was sitting down, the two were still almost at the same eye level. Nala said nothing, waiting apathetically for the half-elf to speak.

'Here,' Yorda said, holding up her hand towards the Dragonborn. In her clamped fist was a single, white feather.

'What do you want me to do with that?'

'For Kippei,' the pale half-elf responded. Nala raised a single eyebrow.

'Excuse me?'

'To remember him,' Yorda explained. 'You seem very sad from his death, and I thought-'

'This isn't Kippei's feather,' the Dragonborn cut in. 'It's from a different chicken. I know, because I breathed fire on her. There wouldn't be any feathers left.'

'Oh.'

She didn't seem to have thought of that. Nala sighed, looking at the feather in the half-elf's hand. She took it from Yorda anyway.

'Thanks.'

'We... could get another chicken.'

'No,' the Dragonborn sighed. 'I'd just end up breathing fire on it and killing it again.'

'A sheep?'

'No.'

'A cow?'

'Let it go, Yorda.'

It occurred to her that the pale-half elf was very awkwardly trying to cheer her up. It didn't help much, but she appreciated the effort anyway. Nala let out another sigh and stood back up, at the same time that the tiny elf snapped her fingers.

'Oh, I know! You need something more sturdy. A creature that does not die so easily!'

'Enough, Yorda,' Nala responded. 'Stop trying to cheer me up, all right? It's fine. I suppose I don't really need a pet.'

Nala turned away from her, heading back in the direction of the tavern. For a moment, she could hear nothing but the sound of her own footsteps. Then, there was a sudden flapping of wings. The Dragonborn looked up at the sky in confusion. As she did, Nala could feel something clasp onto the scales on her head. A tiny white owl had perched on top of her, looking down at the Dragonborn with large, grey eyes. Nala looked back, silently. Both of them remained completely still for a second.

Then a tiny smile appeared on Nala's face.

'You just don't want to walk, do you?'

The owl hooted back softly. It made Nala chuckle. She was a strange one. But not in a bad way. The Dragonborn put the feather in her pocket. Might as well hold on to that. She nodded to herself and walked away, with Yorda perched on her head.

Sildar was expecting them. It was time to go back.

By now, the sun had risen fully in the sky. They were more than a little late for their meeting with Sildar. But Nala found herself not caring as much as usual. The last few days had been fairly stressful-you know, witnessing a building explode, being thrown into prison, fighting through a cave full of murderous goblins, passing out on the tavern floor- and the Dragonborn was glad to have a moment of tranquility.

She looked up at the glowing owl, who was still perched on her head.

'You know, you never did tell us what is up with your body glowing like that. You might want to explain that one to us at some point.'

'Yo.'

The owl let out a soft hoot, turning its head sideways.

'Don't give me that look. I know you can understand me.'

'Yo!'

'In fact, for future situations I do think it would be a good idea to agree on some sign language, you know? To make sure we can also-'

'Oi! _Dragonborn_! Don't ignore us, yo!'

Surprised, Nala lowered her head to see four individuals standing in front of her. They were lined up, effectively blocking the way out of the alley. Nala frowned, looking them over suspiciously. All of them were dressed in similar red clothing covering them almost from head to toe. Nasty-looking swords were strapped to their sides. They looked rugged and just a bit untidy, as if they hadn't had a proper haircut in a while. They were all staring at Nala with unsettling grins on their faces.

Great. Trouble. The last thing that she needed today.

'What do you want?' The Dragonborn said, unable to mask the annoyance in her voice. The ruffian nearest to her stepped up, placing one hand on the scimitar to his side.

'We been seein' you trudge around our town, yo. Trudge around in our streets. It's a dangerous place to be in, yo.'

'Yeah,' the guy next to him nodded. His face was partially covered by a ragged bandana. 'Real dangerous. People go missing around here _real_ fast if they piss off the wrong people. You don't want to piss off the wrong people, yo. Get what I'm sayin'?'

But Nala was having none of it. She huffed, little strands of black smoke coming out of her nostrils. She glared at the nearest ruffian, opening her mouth.

'Okay, for the record! I've been having a _really_ bad morning and I don't need any of this right now. I'm giving you a fair warning. Walk away.'

'That's our line, yo,' the leader-ruffian growled. 'Now be a nice Dragonborn and hand over your valuables. All of it, yo! And we'll let you _walk away_.'

He grabbed hold of his blade, pulling it out of its sheath. With a sinister grin, the ruffian swung the scimitar up to point at Nala.

'Trust me. You don't want to go _missing_.'

It was not a subtle threat. And it had an immediate impact. Nala could feel sharp nails scraping her scales as owl-Yorda pushed off her head, flew into the air in front of her... and changed her form. The tiny owl vanished in a bright light and the next second a familiar, five-foot white bear landed in front of the Dragonborn with a loud _thud_.

'Yo, _what the hell?!_ '

The ruffians barely had time to react. As Nala pulled out her longsword, her companion tore right into the line of enemies. She rose to her hind feet and crashed down on the one to the right, making him completely vanish from view. The other three looked on in shock, pausing on grabbing their own weapons for just a second.

It was all the Dragonborn needed. The paladin figured that a few wounds would be enough to scare them off. Nala swung her longsword, slicing the top of his shoulder. He screamed in pain and backed away from her instantly.

'Yo, yo yo! _This wasn't part of the plan, yo!'_ The third one shouted at the group. He stepped back. Immediately the ruffian was hit from behind by what vaguely looked like the sharp edge of an ice pick, if ice picks were made of actual ice. It tore right through his shoulder, his shout turning into a pained scream as the frosted projectile ripped his skin open.

Nala quickly looked up, searching for the source of the magic. There, near the very end of the alleyway, stood Alatar. The wizard still had his hood pulled over his head, but by now Nala had seen his ray of frost often enough to recognize it for what it was. For a moment, she felt conflicted. The Dragonborn was both grateful for the help, and annoyed that it had to be _him_ , of all people. Then the nearest ruffian swung at her with his sword and the Dragonborn forgot about Alatar. She jumped back. The sword only missed her by a fraction. Nala caught herself, regaining her balance as Yorda dashed past her. She swung at the ruffian with her paw. It made impact with his side, sweeping him off his feet and knocking him into the nearest building. Hard.

He slumped down, unconscious.

There was only one of them left. And he did not last very long. As the man backed off from Nala's longsword, Alatar took advantage of that to launch another ray of frost. It hit him square in his exposed back. The man let out a surprised yelp. It was the last sound he made. The next second his face turned an eerie blue colour. He froze over. The man slumped over, motionless. He did not get up again.

Nala stared at Alatar angrily.

'You didn't have to _kill_ him!'

'Eh, he'll thaw eventually. And you're welcome, by the way.'

He walked over to Yorda, and one of the other fallen ruffians. The wizard kicked his head with a scowl on his hooded face.

'We'll bring one of them back with us. If there's four willing to rob a Dragonborn, then there are more. And I want to know where they are.'

* * *

 _The party brought one of the unconscious ruffians to the Townmaster's Hall, where they were supposed to meet up with Sildar. Along the way they noticed the town's people, seemingly very pleased with a Redbrand member getting a run for his money. After a talk with a very shifty mayor and another interrogation session, during which Angelica took an unsettling interest in the captive Redbrand (Jean), they learned of the following things. The bandits worked under a magic-practicing leader named Glasstaff. They had claimed a large mansion called Tresendar Manor as their hideout. The mayor, being a coward, did nothing to drive them out. And all of them were probably very pissed at having some of their members beaten up in public._

 _They'd come for revenge. Soon._

 _Sildar urged the group to aid him with the recovery of Gundrin from Cragmaw Castle. But the group had already made up their minds. The pummeling of the Redbrands came first. This was personal. They had to deal with these thugs before the thugs came to deal with them. The group retreated to the Stonehill Inn, where they devised a strategy._

* * *

'We can't just charge in,' Nala argued. 'We don't know how many of them there are, and we don't know the layout of that mansion. What we need is a good plan.'

The group had gathered back in the tavern, claiming one of the far rooms on the first floor as a safe spot to talk strategy from. They hadn't gathered much information from the Redbrand ruffian, but what they did gather was enough to promote caution.

'Here's what we know. Their base of operations in beneath Tresendar Manor, in the crypts. By now they will know that we have some of their men. I think it's safe to assume that they know where we are, which means that the people in this tavern are in danger as well.'

'We should not leave them unprotected,' Yorda said.

'Indeed. Plus their leader – Glasstaff – sounds like he's a magic-user. There might be traps in the house, as well. We can't just go in without a plan this time.'

'What do you propose?' Mialee asked. The elf was leaned against the doorframe, her head slightly tilted so that her ear was aimed towards the hallway. She seemed to be eavesdropping for eavesdroppers. Nala opened her mouth to answer the ranger, but Alatar beat her to it.

'We should lure them out. Start a fire, blow something up- it doesn't matter.'

'What do you think the townsfolk will do to us if we set fire to their village, wizard?'

'Thank us for ridding it of a bunch of bandits, of course. Who cares about the building?'

'We can't just burn down the manor!' Nala snapped back, annoyed. 'There might be innocent people in there, and I will not be held responsible if the flames spread to the rest of the town!'

'Relax, everyone. We won't have to burn anything.'

Nala, Alatar and Mialee turned around to Angelica. She had been quiet so far, and all three of them suddenly realized why. Because standing before them was Jean, the Redbrand ruffian that they had captured before. He was also still on the floor, bound and gagged and looking up at his clone with a disbelieving look on his face. The Tiefling had magically altered her form to match his. It was a perfect copy. Yorda, who had witnessed the transformation process, had an impressed smile on her face.

'That is fascinating! How long can you stay like that?'

'As long as I want to, yo,' Angelica smirked back. She was speaking in a low voice, trying to mimic the ruffian. He let out an angry gruff, after which she reverted to her normal tone.

'It's a pretty good illusion, no? As long as I hide my tail, they should not be able to tell the difference. I could walk right in without arousing any suspicion. If I take someone with me, we could lure them all outside.'

'Are the horns still there?'

Yorda reached for her head. The pale half-elf grabbed what appeared to be nothing but air, but as she brought her hand down, Angelica's head got pulled down with it.

'Hey! Hands off!' the Tiefling protested. She quickly jerked back, freeing herself from Yorda's grasp.  
'As I said, it's an illusion. I don't actually change form, like you do. The horns are still there, and I can't get rid of my tail. But as long as I hide that, we're golden!'

'That might actually work,' Mialee nodded. She seemed slightly impressed by the Tiefling. But Nala shook her head.

'We beat up three of them this morning. In public. And then we interrogated this guy-' she pointed at Jean- 'with the whole group, publicly. By now, they'll probably know exactly what we look like. They'll know something is up if you walk in with the very Dragonborn that interrogated you.'

'True,' Angelica nodded. 'That would not be a very good idea. But unless I'm mistaken, there is at least one person here that they should not be aware of.'

She looked at Yorda, who was still on the bed next to her. A momentary silence fell. Then the pale half-elf understood what she was getting at.

'I was a bear.'

'Exactly,' Angelica nodded. 'Even if they were spying on you after the encounter from before, all they would have seen is a bear going into the tavern. Not Yorda.'

'That is actually very clever,' Alatar admitted reluctantly. 'How are you going to lure them outside, though?'

Her grin widened. For a moment, the Tiefling looked truly devious.

'I have a plan.'

* * *

 ** _A few hours later..._**

* * *

With the settling of dusk, two lone figures could be seen walking towards Tresendar Manor. One of them was Angelica, disguised as Jean. In her left hand, she was clutching a rope. The other end of it was tied around Yorda's wrists. With an unsure expression on her face, the pale half-elf looked at the restraints.  
'This does not really do anything. If I turn into a bear, they will break.'

'That's the idea,' "Jean" nodded. 'A good hard tug will pull it loose, too - it's not very well-tied. But it _looks_ like it is.'

They turned a corner, keeping a sharp lookout for anyone with red clothes. So far, the roads were abandoned. All the ruffians seemed to be at the Sleeping Giant, a pub that was notorious for its Redbrand patrons. The two had snuck by the place as best they could, avoiding an awkward confrontation. As they walked, Angelica muttered to Yorda:

'Let's go over the plan one more time.'

The pale half-elf nodded.

'Nala stays outside. Mialee and Alatar hide, and we walk in. I pretend to be your prisoner, and you tell them that Nala-'

'The Dragonborn.'

'That the Dragonborn has followed us here in search of her teammate, and that she was the one that beat up the others.'

'Exactly. They run outside, and into an ambush. Then we just rinse and repeat until all of them are down on the ground. Simple!'

'What if they do not leave?' The pale half-elf asked. Angelica frowned for a second, after which she shrugged.

'Then you go bear. Same result, really.'

'All right,' Yorda nodded. The two turned another corner, and suddenly the mansion came into view. It was a huge building – the biggest one in the entire village, save for Townmaster's Hall. But it had been poorly cared for, even more so since coming into the Redbrand's possession. The walls were grimy and overgrown with ivy and other plants. There were holes in the roof, some of the structure having given way by the neglect and the battering from the elements. The large, wooden front doors looked slightly rotten. They were swung open far enough for a person to fit through. Honestly, the place was a mess. There did not seem to be anyone around - yet.

As the Tiefling surveyed the building, Yorda turned towards her companion.

'Well... here we go.'

As Angelica looked down on her "captive", the look on Yorda's face suddenly turned hostile. She started fake-struggling against the ropes. Angelica took on her role as well, dragging Yorda along.

It did not take them long to reach the front of the manor. The disguised Tiefling squeezed through the open door, pulling Yorda in with her. It took a fraction of a second for her eyes to adjust. The inside was very dark, and very dirty. Dust and dew had gathered on the walls and floor, giving everything a grimy, grey outlook. They entered what once would have been a grand entrance hall, now a pile of ruin. The stairs, starting on both ends of the room and spiralling upwards, had partially collapsed. The few torched on the walls spread an eerie light over the rubble. As far as they could tell, the room was deserted.

As they looked around, Angelica and Yorda realized that there really only was one way to go. There were doors, but they were either completely unhinged or blocked by parts of the staircase. The only clear entrance was a door on the far side of the room. The Tiefling gestured towards the door with her head, slowly moving forward. Yorda followed. She did not have much of a choice – the rope tying her to the Tiefling was only a few feet long. They went through the door. There was another set of stairs right behind hit- stone steps, leading straight down. That was good. The real Jean had mentioned their hideout being underground. Angelica and Yorda slowly descended these stairs, as well.

They exited into a grey basement, the stairs splitting into two and spiralling downwards to the ground. It was a large room. As Angelica focused, she could see rows of crates and barrels lined up along the walls. They were lit by more torches. At the far end of the room, there was a single stone basin with murky water. A single door stood to the right of it. There did not seem to be anything else in the room- including people. This place, too, was deserted.

Just as the Tiefling seemed to be at a loss of what to do, Yorda approached her and softly whispered:

'The real Jean would not be silent.'

She looked at her, not responding for a split second. Then the meaning of that sentence processed in her mind. Angelica took a step forward, placed her hands to her mouth and at the top of her lungs, yelled out:

'YO! JEAN in the HOUSE!'

The effect was instant. On the far end of the room, the door slammed open and three Redbrand ruffians came running out. They saw "Jean", saw Yorda and made a beeline straight to them.

'Jean? Where you been', yo? We heard you got nabbed!'

'Yo yo yo, it's true, yo!' Angelica said, flailing her arms around in an attempt to mimic their movement. 'Lean, Mean and Bean are dead, yo!'

But her voice still sounded different, even in a very low tone. And the ruffian immediately picked up on it. He frowned, looking at her with a confused expression on his face.

'You all right, yo? You sound like you took a fireball to the troat, dude.'

'I-It's that cold from before, yo!' The Tiefling quickly improvised. 'Don't come too close to me, dude. You might catch it.'

'Yeah, I think Bob had that before too, yo,' the other ruffian nodded. They all seemed to take her word for it, not questioning their buddy Jean. Curiously, the three were looking at Yorda, who was still tied up.

'What happened then, yo? We know you got nabbed and interrogated by that explorer group. And who is this?'

'I don't know! I mean, look at her, yo! What's up with that weird glow?' Angelica replied, frantically gesturing with her arms. At the word "glow", Yorda shot her a questioning look. The Tiefling ignored her and kept talking to the Redbrands.

'Listen to this, yo. So they nabbed me and took me to that inn to interrogate me, yeah? So there I was, tied up with a nasty rope around my arms and legs, and down she comes, yo. Walks right up to the barkeep and - get this - offers five. Hundred. Gold pieces for some information!'

'No way!'

'Sick!' The bulkiest one of the bunch yelled, eyes wide. Angelica nodded furiously.

'I know, yo! She's _loaded_ with cash! So I broke free from the ropes and nabbed her on the way out. But the elf won't tell me where the dough is, yo!'

The Tiefling yanked on the rope, pulling the pale half-elf towards her. She reached for the pouch on her side- and got a death stare from Yorda. Angelica could almost feel the daggers in her eyes as Yorda growled:

'Don't touch me!'

'Looks like you got a nasty one, yo!' The bulky Redbrand yelled out. 'We should teach that one some manners. Rough her up a little, so she tells us where the gold is.'

'That's what I thought! So I brought her back here, yo. To rough her up until she tells us where to find it. But there's a problem, dude.'

'What is it, yo? The left ruffian asked. His eyes were gleaming greedily at the thought of so much gold. Angelica answered in a panicked voice, playing her role perfectly.

'The Dragonborn from before followed me here, yo! I thought I'd shaken it off but it has these creepy dog senses or something. We gotta take care of that one first before we can go for the gold!'

'Damn, yo! Glasstaff's gotta know about this!'

With that, the bulky Redbrand abruptly turned around and ran off- not towards the door that they came out of, but the wall on the other side of the stone basin. He stopped about an inch in front of it, placing his fingers inside a small crack about halfway the wall. They could hear a small _clunk_ , a scraping sound, and then part of the wall just gave way. It swung open, revealing a hidden passage. In it was a single set of stairs. The bulky Redbrand ran into the room and vanished from sight when the hidden door closed itself again.

'Well then, yo, what are we waiting for, yo?' Angelica said, quickly keeping herself from looking surprised over the hidden passageway. 'The lizard is right outside our doors, yo! Let's go slice it!'

The other two Redbrands nodded, reaching for their belts. They pulled out two nasty-looking scimitars. Both ruffians looked at each other, at Angelica- and then charged off, up the stairs and straight out of the room.

'This will be fun,' the disguised Tiefling smirked. 'We can make our way down again later. Let's go watch.'

On the outside of the mansion, Nala had positioned herself right in the middle of the path. Alatar and Mialee were to her left and right, hidden behind a bush and the branches of a large tree. They had witnessed Yorda and Angelica going in. A few minutes passed, in which nothing happened. Nala just stood there, tense. Unmoving.

And then the Redbrands came running out. They threw open the doors, almost getting their scimitars stuck in the moldy wood as they charged Nala. The Dragonborn raised her shield, readying her long sword for a counterattack.

She did not need to. As soon as the first Redbrand stepped out onto the grass, a charged ray of frost it him on the side of the head. It was a nasty blow, and the ruffian fell to the ground immediately.

'What the hell, yo?!'

The second ruffian slid to a stop just behind the entryway as he saw his friend fall. He barely kept himself from slipping on the grimy floor. With a panicked expression on his face, the Redbrand looked back at Jean.

'It's an ambush, yo! It's an-'

He never got to finish that sentence, as a pink Eldritch Blast glowed up behind him and struck his heart. His eyes went wide with shock. The Ruffian fell to his knees, looking up at his friend.  
'J...Jean...?'  
Angelica smiled, pointy teeth bared and her pupils disappearing as her eyes started to glow an eerie white.

'Not exactly.'

His face went white as a sheet. A dark stain spread across the front of his armor, turning the leather crimson. The next second, his body gave out. The ruffian crashed to the ground, lifeless.

Angelica smiled, seemingly very pleased with the current turn of events. She let go of the rope holding Yorda. The pale half-elf immediately started undoing her bindings.

'That went well.'

'How many more are there?' Nala asked, quickly approaching the two. Alatar and Mialee followed, coming out of their hiding places.

'Two that we know of, but probably a lot more. We saw one of them running down a secret passage to tell their leader about the big bad Dragonborn waiting outside.'

'They revealed a secret entrance?' Alatar replied, surprised. 'What do you know- that disguise plan worked better than I thought.'

'Yeah, but now they know we're out there,' Nala countered. 'Or some of us, at least. There will be more coming up before too long. We should get inside while we still have the element of surprise.'  
The others nodded, and everyone started making their way in.

* * *

 _ **Mialee**_

* * *

A little while later. The group had searched the rooms, found a hall with a pit trap and something resembling a crypt, complete with creepy skeletons sitting by the coffins. They had decided to go the other way. Slowly and stealthily, the group made it to the secret door and the hidden stairway.  
They made their way downstairs, entering a large, underground cavern. Multiple natural pillars littered the cave, with a deep chasm in the middle and two wooden bridges spanning it. The place was very dark. In fact, it was nearly impossible to see all the way to the back of the cavern. Mialee could just barely make out another passageway across the chasm, on the far end of the room.

'That way,' the brown-haired elf said, gesturing towards the passageway. She drew her bow, cautiously making her way further into the room.

And a single chill ran down her spine.

'What is it?' Nala asked, who had picked up on her sudden discomfort. The ranger did not answer. She slowly turned her head, surveying the entirety of the cavern. Looked to the left. Nothing. To the right. Empty. There was no sign of anything nearby, and yet Mialee strongly got the feeling that something was watching them.

 _Clang. Clang. Clang_. The Dragonborn apparently did not share in her feeling, as she noisily stepped heavy armor shook with every step, loudly clanking against itself. Alatar and Angelica followed, the wizard visibly hanging back. Coward. Then again, he was pretty weak, Mialee thought. If you took away his spells, there was not much left that he could defend himself with. Maybe cowardice was a good thing in his case. The green-eyes elf slowly made her way further in as well, catching up with Yorda, who had skipped off after the Dragonborn. The pale half-elf walked up to the edge of the chasm, looking down curiously.

'That is pretty far down.'

'Stay away from the edge, guys,' Nala spoke to the group. 'We don't know what's down there.'

Another chill ran down Mialee's spine and this time she was certain of it. There was something watching them. She couldn't make out where it was, but it was definitely there. The brown-haired elf gripped her bow more strongly, readying herself for an attack.

Then, all of a sudden, a voice resounded in her head. It was a gurgling voice, low and guttural and definitely inhuman. All the hairs in Mialee's neck raised as the voice spoke a single word.

 _'Tiefling...'_

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks. They had all heard the voice- not just Mialee. Angelica, who was still disguised as Jean, looked up in confusion.

 _'Wizard...'_

The scuffling of feet. Mialee glanced back to see Alatar, still partly hidden from his hooded cloak, slowly backing up to the cavern's entrance. His eyes were glancing around nervously. By now, the whole group was on full alert. Nala drew her sword, pointing it at the darkness around her. Nothing seemed to be moving. Then the voice resounded in their heads again, a guttural growl that echoed against their skull.

 _'Fleeeesh...'_

It happened almost as if in slow-motion. As Mialee turned to the side, she saw Yorda next to her. The pale half-elf took out a piece of dried jerky- the meat that she'd taken from the goblin lair the day before. With a frown, Yorda held the piece of meat up in the air.

 _'Meat... give me...!'_

For a split second, nobody moved. Then a defiant expression appeared on Yorda's face. The glowing elf brought the piece of meat to her mouth- and bit into it.

A horrible, high-pitched screech echoed through the cavern. At the same time, Yorda collapsed. The pale half-elf let out a scream as she grabbed at her head, her legs giving out underneath her. She crumpled to the ground. Nala rushed over to her side, but as there was no outside wound, there was nothing that the Dragonborn could do to help her. Instead she swung her sword, rising up to her full 6-foot height.

 _'Show yourself, coward!_ ' The Paladin screamed, challenging the darkness. There was no response. Whatever it was that was hurting Yorda, it wasn't coming out. And the Dragonborn could not see into the darkness. Mialee could, but she was too far away from the rest of the group to make a difference.

But someone else was not. As the brown-haired elf frantically looked around for a target, Angelica suddenly sprinted off in the direction of the bridge. It only took her three large steps to cross it. The Tiefling charged straight for the pillar on the other side of the chasm. She darted around the structure, hard at the ready, and blasted off an Eldritch Blast the second she laid eyes on her target. Mialee could hear it impact, and another high-pitch screech resounded from behind the pillar.  
'Eye beast!' Angelica yelled from behind the pillar. The brown-haired elf did not know what to make of that– eye beast? What the hell did she mean?

The next second, the creature came darting around the pillar. Mialee instantly knew what Angelica had meant. An enormous green, almost pulsating eye centered around a body that vaguely resembled a humanoid. Its form was lanky and hunched, olive green skin pulled tightly across its bones. Spikes protruded from its back, seemingly growing out from the bone. Its long arms were tipped with large, filthy claws that dragged across the ground as it lunged forward.

'What the hell?!' Nala yelled, readying her shield. 'What is _that_?!'

Mialee did not feel like asking it to find out. She aimed her bow, releasing arrows in rapid succession. But the beast was fast. Faster than she had anticipated. It ducked down, avoiding the arrows entirely as it darted across the bridge. Its target was Yorda. The creature swiped at her. Nala saw it coming and slammed down her shield, protecting the tiny half-elf. Its claws raked across the metal with a terrible shrieking sound that made the hairs in Mialee's neck rise up.

The Dragonborn swung at the beast with her sword, but that too got sidestepped. She quickly glanced back at Angelica, who was still on the other side of the bridge, and Alatar, who was still steadily backing up.

'Would you _help out already?!_ '' She snapped at the wizard. Her booming voice seemed to snap him out of whatever state he had been in. Alatar dashed forward, a familiar ray of blue arcane energy darting off his hand and towards the one-eyed... thing. It hit him right in the back. The creature let out a high shriek. It recoiled from the damage, darting away from the group. It tried to vanish into the darkness a second time. But this time, Mialee was faster. She aimed her bow, drew, released another arrow at the creature... and missed. Again. The arrow darted over its head and embedded itself in the nearest wall.

It made Mialee grind her teeth in frustration. She had never missed this many times before. In fact, ever since joining up with this group, her aim had been less than satisfactory. Normally she didn't miss. _Ever_. Mialee drew again, aiming for its head. It shot off towards the creature... and flew wide at the last moment as the creature darted across another pillar.

'Start hitting things or get out of my way, Ranger!' The wizard yelled, running around Mialee to regain a view on the creature. Angelica came darting across the bridge, and the two of them flanked it. A combination of pink sparkles and blue arcane energy crashed into the olive-skinned beast, making him reel back with another horrid shriek. That seemed to do some real damage. It was horrifying, but fragile. Dark green blood dripped out of the wounds that the Eldritch Blast had made, forming tiny splashes on the ground.

The creature darted for Yorda again. Nala swung at it with her long sword, and this time it did not have the reflexes to jump out of the way. The blade drew large gash across its chest. The drips on the ground started to turn into small puddles. A few more hits, and they would overpower the creature.

And it seemed to realize that. With another shriek, the creature suddenly turned on its heels and made a beeline for the chasm. Just like that. It didn't even look at the elf, who was almost directly in between him and his destination. It made Mialee's feelings of frustration even worse. Was she invisible now?! With a low growl, she grabbed another arrow from the quiver on her back. As the creature reached the edge of the chasm, the brown-haired elf fired at it again. It just barely scraped the spikes on its back. The creature didn't even look back. It jumped down, landing heavily on the chasm floor as it vanished from sight.

It hadn't even looked at her.

And Mialee went into a rage. She bolted for the chasm edge, letting go of her longbow and reaching for the two swords on her sides instead. The Dragonborn's eyes went wide as she saw Mialee sprint up to the edge.

'Wait, what are you-?!'

Too late. Mialee had already jumped. With an enraged scream, the brown-haired elf leapt off the edge of the chasm and plummeted down below. As she fell, Mialee pulled out her blades. The one-eyed creature was right below her, pounding on the wall of the chasm. Distracted. Unaware. It was perfect. Mialee fell down right on top of it, blades-first, sinking the swords deep into its shoulder blades just as the creature decided to look up. Her blades completely vanished in the creature's innards, sinking until the very hilt. It was gruesome. The creature let out a terrible howl, reeling and trying to grab Mialee with its long claws. Blood welled up from the wounds in its back, staining her clothes and skin. The brown-haired elf held onto her swords, hanging onto the creature in a raw display of strength.

Then, with another angry snarl, Mialee tightened her grip on her swords and pulled. In a spray of greenish blood, the blades slid back out. That proved to be too much for the creature. It sunk down, gurgling. Its gigantic green eye turned glassy. Its body went limp and fell down to the ground.

Dead.

Back on the sides of the chasm, Nala and Alatar stood side-by-side, looking down on the scene below them in stunned awe. In a rare moment of solidarity, the wizard and the paladin glanced at each other. They made eye contact.

'…Did you know she could do that?'

'No. Did you?'

'Nope.'

* * *

 _Also known as the session where our ranger player rolled two hours' worth of bad rolls and natural 1's. Then they switched dice, and rolled a natural 20 on their very first roll. Gotta love D &D._

 _Thank you for reading! Feedback is always appreciated. ^.^_

 _-Yimi_


	8. Chapter 2,3 - Tresendar Manor

**2.3 - Tresendar Manor**

* * *

 **Not much later, the group had found their way down into the crypts. They had left the cave with the dead Nothic far behind them, instead making their way down below. The group soon stumbled upon a prison cell with three people in it: a young woman and her two children, who identified themselves as Myrna, Nars and Nilsa Drendarr. The family had been captured by the Redbrands and were going to be sold as slaves before too long. The group promised to find the key to their cells and set them free, delving deeper into the underground crypt…**

* * *

 **Alatar**

* * *

With the soft shuffling of cloth against stone, Alatar Vermillion slowly made his way through the corridor. The wizard had volunteered to take point this time, as his robes made a lot less noise than that annoying Dragonborn in full armor. He stopped at the nearest door, pressing his ear against it in an attempt to listen in on the other side.  
Nothing.

'Seems empty,' the wizard mouthed silently to Yorda, who was behind him. 'What about that side?'

The pale half-elf had witnessed Alatar putting his ear to the door and did the same, pausing for a second. Then her head cocked to the side slightly.

'People. A lot of them… probably. I hear laughter.'

'Not that door, then. We'll try this one.'

Alatar did not wait for her response. As he waved with one hand towards the rest of the team, who were still gathered at the beginning of the stairs, he turned the doorknob with the other hand. With a soft click, the door opened. The wizard pushed the wood out of the way to reveal a large, luxurious-looking chamber. His eye was drawn to the desk in the middle. It was littered with books, scribbled papers and vials with strange coloured liquids in them.

Alatar immediately recognized it for what it was – an alchemy table. Of all the things that he had expected when going in, this sight had not been included. A smile appeared on his lips, widening when he saw the bookcases lined up against the walls. Spell books and recipes, from the looks of it. Oh, yes. This would prove to be very good for his quest- and his wallet.

'Move, wizard.'

As Alatar stepped towards the table, the elven ranger suddenly bypassed him. His annoyed grumble turned into a loud protesting noise when she walked right up to the books and vials- and started roughly tossing them, making papers crumple and tear in her unrefined search for valuables.

'Hey! Stop that right now, elf!'

'First come, first serve, is that not correct?' Mialee replied in a huff. 'There's plenty here. Find your own spot, wizard.'

She seemed to have a grudge. Why was that again? The wizard could not remember. Not that it mattered. Her hands came across a dark plant with purple-coloured leaves. Alatar recognized the plant right away. It was nightshade, a very potent ingredient for making poisons, elixirs and all kinds of other concoctions. A very useful ingredient.

The elf did not seem to have the same knowledge. She roughly picked it up, tearing one of the leaves in half.

'Put that down!' Alatar sneered.

'Why? It's a flower.'

'That is a very useful ingredient and a lot more valuable than a _flower_ , elf!' the wizard replied in an annoyed tone. It did not have the intended effect. Mialee gave the nightshade another look, after which she roughly stuffed it in the pouch on her belt.

'Good. In that case, it's mine now.'

'What would you even do with it? You do not have the skills to make use of that plant in the first place!'

'Then I will sell it.'

'Are you daft?! Hand it over!'

'No,' Mialee replied, a stubborn look on her lightly-tanned face.

'You clearly do not know what you are dealing with!'

'Then I will find someone who does, and I'll sell it to them.'

' _ **I**_ know!'

'Sixty gold.'

' _Excuse me?!_ '

'Seventy gold.'

' _You little_ -'

'Hey! Keep your voices down!' Nala whispered. The Dragonborn had also entered the room. She was looking at the two of them with a stern look on her face, gesturing towards the hallway. Getting reprimanded by the paladin was the last straw. Alatar let out an angry huff and skulked off in the direction of the bookcases, to see what he could salvage there.

It proved to be frustratingly little. The wizard turned around with another huff, just in time to see Nala opening the door on the other side of the room. It opened up into a fancy bedroom, complete with red curtains and a vanity.

And a chest. Both Angelica and Nala instantly went for it. Alatar had expected that of the Tiefling, but to see even the paladin going after treasure was a bit of a surprise. Alatar had been under the impression that the Dragonborn did not care much for wealth. Apparently he was wrong. Or maybe she was doing it on purpose? The only one clearly not interested in treasure was Yorda. The pale half-elf hung back, merely observing the rest as they rummaged around in the bedroom.

Mialee quickly joined the other two, abandoning the desk. A quick look confirmed Alatar's suspicions. Whatever valuable items there might have been- after the uncontrolled ransacking, there was nothing left. Damn ranger. It almost seemed as if she was doing it just to spite him.

The elf had made her way over to the vanity. It took her a grand total of two seconds to pick up a piece of parchment, skimming over the words written on it before coming to a sudden halt. A frown appeared on her face.

'Hold on- look at this, everyone.'

'What is it?' Nala asked, still bent over the contents of the chest near the bed. Angelica was greedily looking over her shoulder.

'A letter.'

'So? What's so important about a letter?' Angelica asked.

'Look. See who it's addressed to.'

They left the treasure chest, joining Mialee to read the sheet of parchment that she was holding out. Within seconds, the two of them had the same frown on their faces. Now Alatar was starting to get curious, as well. He marched up to the elf, grabbed the parchment and flipped it around, pulling it out of Mialee's hands. There was a short letter written down on it, in very fine handwriting. With eyes squinted suspiciously, Alatar began to read.

" _Lord Albrek,  
_

 _My spies in Neverwinter tell me that strangers are due to arrive in Phandalin. They could be working for the dwarves. Capture them if you can, kill them if you must, but don't allow them to upset our plans. See that any dwarven maps in their possession are delivered to me with haste._

 _I'm counting on you, Iarno. Don't disappoint me. "_

Iarno… that name sounded familiar. The wizard let the name mull around in his mind for a bit, after which the answer came to him. Iarno Albrek – they'd heard that name before. Sildar had mentioned an individual named like that. A colleague from the Lord's Alliance. He had presumably gone missing, and Sildar had come to investigate.

Well, Alatar thought with a slight smirk, It seemed that his "honourable companion" wasn't so honourable after all. The man had gone rogue. Iarno Albrek and Glasstaff – the leader of the Redbrands – were the same person.

That was very interesting.

'Sildar should read this,' Nala spoke. The Dragonborn reached out for the parchment, snatching it back from Alatar's hands. She quickly folded the letter and placed it in her pockets.

'I agree,' Mialee nodded. 'He will want to know that his "friend" is a traitor.'

'So much for the "honourable" Lord's Alliance,' Alatar smirked at Nala, who shot him a dirty look. The paladin sidestepped him, leaving the bedroom. Alatar followed, with Mialee and Angelica right behind him. They made their way to Yorda, who was still back in the other room, near the entrance to the hallway. She seemed to be keeping an ear out for the voices behind the other door.

'Where do we go now?' the elf whispered, as soon as the group was complete. 'We came here to arrest Glasstaff and take care of the Redbrand threat. I see no Glasstaff around.'

'We must have missed something,' Angelica nodded. 'Or perhaps he's in there with the other goons. We could take them by surprise.'

'There's a lot of them in there. I don't know how many- we could be in over our heads here.'

'We won't know that until we enter, now will we?'

'No, that's too dangerous. We should-'

The Dragonborn never got to finish that sentence. As The group bickered in the corridor, the door that Yorda had been keeping an eye on suddenly opened. Behind it was a single Redbrand goon, head turned to the side, laughing at the people in the room as he pushed the door open into the hallway.

'Yo, yo, y-'

His head turned. His gaze fell on the group in front of him, completely frozen. The Redbrand goon froze as well, his eyes widening in shock.

'…ooooo?'

The next second Yorda stepped forward, grabbed hold of the handle and pushed, closing the door again with a soft _click_.

'Right. Shall we leave?'

The whole situation was comical, and Alatar could not help but let out a snicker. Then the Redbrand goon seemed to finally understand what had just happened. From the other side of the door, a bellowing voice sounded:

'INTRUDERRRRS!'

The door handle moved again. Yorda reacted instantly. The tiny half-elf snapped her fingers, making a bright white fire appear on the ground right behind the wood. Within moments, the door was on fire. A surprised scream sounded from the other side. By now, all of the laughter had faded. Alatar could hear footsteps, together with the clanking of metal. This was going to get ugly fast.

'Get ready, everyone!'

The wizard jumped back, retreating into the study right as the door was kicked open from the other side. Two red-cloaked goons came running out. Alatar could see at least four more in the room, grabbing for their weapons as they too dashed towards the entrance. But those four weren't the problem- yet. The two in front were. They stormed into the hallway and locked eyes with the first thing they saw – Alatar. With two simultaneous battle cries, the goons raised their scimitars and charged.

And, with a clunk, they were slammed in their shoulders and tossed to the side by Nala's paladin shield. They almost fell on top of Mialee. But the elf had been prepared – her short swords were drawn, and she caught the bandits by driving the blades deep into their sides. They fell almost immediately. These guys were loud, but not very tough.

Alatar focused for a moment, peering past the falling bodies and the bonfire on the ground, into the room. More goons were coming. They weren't very bright, either. The wizard could make use of that. He looked down at the bonfire, after which a smirk appeared on his face. Alatar could feel the magical energy swirl around his fingers. He aimed, shooting off another ray of frost into the open doorway. It barely skimmed the edges of Yorda's bonfire and landed on the ground behind it, far from any approaching Redbrands.

'What the hell?!' Angelica yelled. 'Aim higher, for fuck's sake!'

But the wizard knew exactly what he was doing. With great precision, he fired another ray of frost at the floor- his intended target. And his plan worked. With that second ray, the floorboards just in front of the bonfire froze solid, leaving a surface too slippery to run on. Leading right up to the flames of Yorda's bonfire.

It worked perfectly. The second that one of the Redbrands stepped on the ice, his boot slipped. The man came crashing down, his momentum sliding him forward over the ice and right through the bonfire. The second ruffian met the same fate. They weren't very bright, either. The pair came out on the other side of the bonfire with terrible burns on their arms and legs, sprawled out on the ground. Mialee, Nala and Angelica made quick work of them.

Alatar smiled at the sight. This was going well. He raised his arm for another ray of frost, aiming into the room.

Time to clear out the vermin.

* * *

 _The group fought the room full of Redbrands, and the bugbears that came out after them. With only minor injuries, the fight was a victory. They found the key for the prison cells and freed Myrna, Nilsa and Narn from captivity. Alatar preceded his companions to the next room – the only one that they had not checked yet. They opened the door, only to find it empty – or so it seemed at first glance. However…_

* * *

There, on the far side of the room, was another person. It was a girl, looking to be somewhere in her twenties. Light, pinkish hair flowed down her shoulders in curls, framing eyes in a similar shade of green as Mialee's. The girl wore vibrant traveller's clothes, in a shade that was too eye-catching to belong to a mere adventurer. She was chained to the wall, with heavy iron shackles tied around her arms and legs. As soon as the group approached her, the girl flinched, looking up with big, scared eyes.

'Who- who are you?'

'That's our line,' Mialee responded. 'Who are you and what are you doing here? Are you another Redbrand?'

Both Nala and Angelica shot her a look.

'Of course not. They wouldn't chain up their own members. Probably.'

The paladin pushed past the rest of the group and approached the girl.

'It's all right – we're not going to hurt you. My name is Nala Fennorae.'

'Telyn,' the pink-haired girl replied. She shifted her weight, the chains around her rattling unsettlingly.

'How did you get here, Telyn?'

'They took me!' the girl said in a hoarse voice. 'I just wanted to enter that inn, or whatever it was, and they grabbed me and tied me up and dragged me here! They said they were going to sell me if I didn't perform for them!'

'Perform?' Yorda said, her head slightly cocked.

'I'm an entertainer. I perform for a living. That's why I tried to enter that inn this morning. Although I suppose it wasn't such a good idea this time.'

Meanwhile, Nala had gotten hold of her shackles. With a growl, the Dragonborn dug her scaled claws into the iron. The metal groaned and bent under her grasp, before breaking with a large _clang_. It seemed to spook Telyn a little, but now the girl was free.

'T-thank you. My, but you're strong.'

'It comes with the territory,' Nala said, flexing her scaly fingers. Then she dropped the shackles, looking at Telyn with a concerned expression on her face.

'Are you all right? Did they hurt you?'

There it was. The goody-goody paladin assist-everyone-bullshit. Alatar had been wondering how long it would take the Dragonborn to find some poor victim to help in here. Not long, apparently. Well, if she wanted to play nurse, so be it. The wizard looked away, inspecting the rest of the room instead.

There wasn't much there. A group of about eight grimy, unmade beds was lined up against the walls. A few rickety nightstands stood in between them. Alatar could see some worn boots, some shirts, and a few filthy Redbrand cloaks. These appeared to be the Redbrand's sleeping quarters. That they had tied the girl up in here of all places said a lot about their intentions for her. She was lucky that the group was here to rescue her.

Alatar moved on, walking towards the other side of the room as the rest gathered around Telyn. He quickly rummaged through the nightstands as he went. Nothing. Nothing. One silver coin. Nothing…

At the fifth nightstand, Alatar suddenly saw something move underneath the bed. It vaguely resembled a leg, hastily being drawn back into the shadows. The wizard didn't hesitate for a second. He reached underneath the grimy bed, grabbed onto something that felt like cloth and yanked.

' _Yeep!'_

When Alatar pulled back his arm, a goblin was dangling on the end of it. It was a scrawny-looking thing, much smaller than the ones they had been encountering so far. Its green skin was tattered and bruised and a large gash ran across its right ear, some of the bottom part missing. It was wearing nothing but rags, folded around his body like a burlap sack.

'Well, look what we have here!' Alatar grinned, holding the creature high up in the air.

'A little rat.'

The tiny goblin yelped, wiggling in his grasp.

'No, no! Let go! Let go!'

'Oh, I'll let you go,' the wizard smirked. He shot a quick glance at Nala and Mialee. 'Trust me. We're _really_ good at setting goblins free.'

He reached for his dagger.

'Wait!' the Dragonborn suddenly yelled, drawing a sigh from Alatar.

'What?'

'Let him live. He might know where Glastaff is.'

'Glasstaff, yes, yes!' the tiny goblin yelped. 'I knows! Droop knows!'

'Do you, now?' the wizard replied in a low tone. 'Good. Then tell us, if you want to live.'

'Droop wants to live! Glasstaff here, yes. Leader of smelly humans.'

'Where is he?'

'Glasstaff around. Has his own room. Droop never been there.'

'We've already found the study,' Alatar said, tightening his grip on the goblin. 'We want to know where he is _now_.'

'Droop not know.'

'What do you mean, you don't know?'

'Comes and goes, Glasstaff the leader. Droop not like him. Droop not like any of smelly humans and bugbears. They not tells him where leader goes.'

'He's a prisoner here, too,' Telyn suddenly called out from behind the group. 'The bugbears and ruffians were using him for entertainment. He's not one of them.'

'You're useless to us, then,' Alatar growled. The goblin's eyes went wide as he saw the wizard reach for his dagger again, pulling it loose from his belt.

The next second, Nala interfered. The Dragonborn roughly stepped between Alatar and Droop, pulling him from the wizard's hands and out of his reach.

'We are _not_ killing this one!' she growled, looking down on Alatar. The wizard could barely keep himself from snapping at her in return. He pointed the dagger at Droop, the irritation resounding in his voice.

'It's a goblin.'

'He was a prisoner. He hasn't attacked us, and I will not allow you to kill him.'

Really? Now they were rescuing scruffy goblins, too? What was next, passing out their rations to hungry rats? Alatar huffed, his feelings of annoyance clearly visible on his face. The Dragonborn ignored him. She placed Droop on the ground. To everyone's surprise, the tiny goblin did not run away the second her scaly claws let go of him. He just kind of… stood there, half-hiding behind her bulky armor. Looking up at the paladin. His face was completely expressionless.

Whatever.

As Alatar checked the rest of the cabinets, Telyn had started talking to Yorda and Angelica. The young bard was gesturing at the two, and Alatar could hear snippets of their conversation.

'… and I never knew his name, but my mother said that he was a _really_ terrible bard. Like, ear-shatteringly bad. But he had a silver tongue, and that's how he met my mother, and… well, how I came to be. Someone like that should leave some kind of trail, right? So I came to Phandalin to see if there were any rumours about him. So I went to the inn, to see if they needed any performers, and then they tied me up and kidnapped me!'

'Oh, I see. You went to the wrong inn,' Angelica nodded.

'What do you mean?'

'Honey, there's two inns in Phandalin. One is safe- that's Stonehill inn. The other one is infamous for being a gathering place for these Redbrand minions. You stepped into the wrong inn.'

'Well, how was I supposed to know that?' Telyn answered in an agitated tone. 'All I wanted to do was see if they needed a performer for the night. Well, they did- but I don't want to perform like that.'

'Perform?' Yorda asked. Her head was still slightly cocked to the side, and she was looking at Telyn with a curious expression in her eyes.

'Yes- you know, play some music, sing a bit, maybe add a little dance. Don't tell me you've never heard music before.'

'Not really, no.'

'You're kidding,' the pink-haired bard replied. Yorda said nothing. She seemed to be sincere, merely staring at Telyn expectantly. That realization apparently came to Telyn as well, because she suddenly turned around and coursed straight for something in the corner of the room- the only corner that Alatar hadn't checked yet. Leaned against the wall was a long, slender-looking wooden flute. Telyn quickly grabbed it.

As she walked back to the group, the pink-haired bard put the instrument to her lips. A soft, light-hearted melody reverberated through the stone room. It was very pleasing to the ear, Alatar noted, and she played it effortlessly. Yorda's eyes lit up at the sound, like a child who had just made a new discovery.

'That is fascinating!' she spoke, as soon as Telyn had finished her melody. 'How are you doing that?'

'Oh, it's very easy. You just blow into this hole here, and then the air current in the flute will-'

'Yes, very nice,' Angelica interrupted them. 'But may I remind you all that we are still in hostile territory? Glasstaff is long gone by now. If we are done here, we should get out.'

At least someone was still paying attention. Alatar nodded, heading for the door immediately. The others followed. Soon, they had left the dark crypts behind, making their way back to the surface.

* * *

 **Later that evening…**

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

Sunset. Nala Fennorae had made her way to Townmaster's Hall, accompanied by the rest of the group. They had briefed Sildar and the major on the events that transpired within Tresendar Manor, and handed the grey-haired human the letter they found on Glasstaff's desk. Sildar was reading it with a large, upset frown on his face.

'This is troubling news,' the man said eventually, as he lifted his head from the parchment.

'Thank you for finding this out for me. I never thought that… that Iarno could have done something like this.'

'We apologise for not being able to find him,' Nala replied. 'He must have escaped during all the commotion with the other Redbrands. I don't know where he may have gone.'

'It's all right- you've already done much more for us than I could have hoped. I will issue an arrest warrant for him, and notify the Lord's Alliance. They need to know that one of their own has turned traitor.'

He let out a deep sigh, rubbing the top of his nose with his fingers.

'I am terribly sorry to ask this of you, but you have proven yourselves to be very capable warriors. Gundrin has been taken to Cragmaw Castle, and I fear for his life. I would employ the town guard to move on the castle, but we cannot leave Phandalin undefended… especially now that the leader of the Redbrands has evaded capture.'

'Sildar, we already promised to try and rescue him,' Nala cut him off, giving the man a sympathetic nod. 'We will do what we can.'

'Of course,' Alatar chimed in from the back of the group. 'You promised us 500 gold pieces for it, after all.'

Nala shot him a dirty look. Of course it was about the money with him. Never mind actually saving a person's life. She shook her head, banning the wizard from her thoughts as she turned back to Sildar.

'We know the location. We will rest tonight, then leave for the castle in the morning. If it's within my power, I will get Gundrin out of there.'

'Thank you, paladin,' Sildar smiled. 'I pray for your success. Godspeed to all of you.'


	9. Chapter 3,1 - Cragmaw Castle

**Chapter 3 – Cragmaw Castle**

 _The point where our DM decided that he was done coddling us, and we had to start actually thinking about the consequences of our actions. Mistakes were made. Many, many mistakes._

* * *

'Cheers!'

Echo smiled widely as she downed another drink. Normal ale this time- not slime in the coconut, the stuff that had made both her and Nala _and_ Mialee throw up. The five of them had gathered back in the tavern, having briefly split up to run errands after talking to Sildar. The next morning, all of them were headed off to Cragmaw Castle. It was going to be a perilous journey, through the darker parts of the woods. Not to mention the dangers that awaited at the castle itself. The group had to be ready. They needed to prepare.

Naturally, that involved drinking large casks of ale.

'Ah, that hit the spot!' Echo yelled out, after downing her mug. The liquid burned in her throat, but the aftertaste was _so good_. 'All right, another! Barmaid!'

The barmaid, an attractive woman with brown hair and a single mole on her cheek, chuckled as she poured Echo another drink.

'Come on, Nala! Join me!'

'Not today,' the Dragonborn replied from the other side of the table. Echo frowned, focusing on the Paladin. She seemed… brooding. Mulling something over. What that might be wasn't too important- only that Nala did not seem to be in the mood for drinking.

'Aw, spoilsport! Fine, I'll drink by myself.'

She then took her own advice, downing another drink. The room around her was starting to look a little blurry, the colours suddenly much more vibrant than before. A warm, content feeling spread in Echo's chest. She grinned at Yorda, who smiled back. A dark shape had appeared behind the pale half-elf. It took Echo a moment to focus, after which she recognized it to be Myrna Drendarr, the mother of the family that they'd rescued from Tresendar Manor. She was looking a lot less pale and desperate. Getting rescued and returning to your home did have that healing effect. The woman placed a hand on Yorda's shoulder, making the half-elf turn around to face her.

'Excuse me. I can see you're all having a good time, but… if I might interrupt?'

'No problem, Myrna,' Nala smiled reassuringly. 'Are you and your children all right?'

'A lot better now, thank you. In fact, that was what I came to talk to you about. I wanted to thank you all for going out of your way to rescue us- I can't bear to think what might have happened if you hadn't been there.'

'You're welcome,' the paladin said. Mialee and Yorda nodded, the half-elf looking up at Myrna from her seat.

'We don't have much in terms of payment-'

'No need. We don't want anything,' Nala interrupted. Alatar shot her a dark look from his side of the table.

'No, really, I want to thank you somehow. There is an emerald necklace, an heirloom of my family. I'd like you all to have it, as thanks for saving me and my children.'

'Of course!' the wizard said, perking up visibly. 'We'd be glad to take that off your hands for you.'

Another dark look, this time originating from Nala. Alatar ignored it, focusing on Myrna instead.

'Where is it, then? The necklace?'

'That's… the other problem,' Myrna said sheepishly. 'You see, I would love to give it to you, but… it's not here right now. I left it in Thundertree many years ago, when we fled the village.'

'Fled the village?' Mialee asked.

'Yes. The place has been overrun by undead for almost as long as I can remember. It's quite a dangerous place these days.'

'Excuse me? Undead?' Echo said, a hint of disbelief in her voice. She slowly put down the mug of ale.

'Many of them. I know that most people avoid areas like that, but you all seem like such strong warriors… You might end up in that area at some point. You don't have to, of course, but if it pleases you, take the necklace as payment for saving our lives.'

Echo frowned at her. That did not sound like a very good deal. The necklace was a nice boon, of course, but she did not like the sound of having to plough through a village full of walking corpses to get to it. Especially if they didn't know where to look. The risk to her life was much greater than the reward- there was no merit in that. In fact, that necklace might not even be there anymore. How old was this information?

'Myrna, when did you flee from Thundertree?'

The woman frowned for a bit, thinking back as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

'It's got to be at least… twenty years ago, now.'

The Tiefling snorted. If that much time had passed, the necklace was probably long gone. Either some adventurer could have snagged it, or some skeleton could be wearing it around its bony neck by now. No, definitely not worth the trouble.

'You mean to say that the undead have been desecrating those lands for more than twenty years?' Yorda asked. Her voice had changed – where it had been a happy chipper before, now her tone was low and ominous. The smile on her face had vanished and she looked up at Myrna with a strange, intense expression on her face.

'I- I suppose they have been, yes.'

Echo could see the pale half-elf grab onto the sides of her dress with her hands, her white knuckles getting even paler. She stayed silent.

'We'll see what we can do,' Nala said, answering for the rest of the group. She ignored the dirty glare that Alatar, again, was shooting at her. Myrna smiled back.

'Thank you. I wish you all the best.'

* * *

A short while later. Echo, having drank enough for the day, had retired to her tavern room upstairs. The Tiefling was alone this time. All of the others were still downstairs, or had retired to their rooms already. It had been a long day for everyone- Echo included. The Tiefling kicked off her high boots and hopped onto her bed for the night, stretching out on the matrass.

Something metallic was poking her back. She reached in her pocket and pulled it out- one of the sacks of gold that she'd lifted off the dead Redbrand ruffians. It wasn't much, but it was definitely good for a couple of fine meals. Echo smirked as she thought back on the afternoon in Tresendar Manor. Masquerading as that Redbrand grunt had been much more fun than she imagined. She could still see the expression of the guy outside- his surprise turning to horror as he realised who "Jean" really was. She was definitely going to try that again. With a smirk, Echo took out a single gold coin and flipped it off her thumb, throwing it into the air.

And it froze. For just a split second, the coin hung suspended above her head, motionlessly. From the corner of her eye, Echo could swear she saw some kind of shifting shadow in the corner. A soft, eerie chuckle sounded. The next second the coin regained its hold on gravity, falling down and landing into her outstretched hand.

Echo said nothing. She merely leaned into the pillows, slowly letting her gaze traverse the room. She had a pretty good idea of who it was. Another chuckle sounded. Echo sat up a little straighter, watching. Waiting.

The next second, a low voice sounded. It seemed to come from behind her, lightly trailing the outlines of her back in a way that would give any other person chills.

' _You've been doing well…. I have a gift for you.'_

Her smile widened, showing the pointy fangs in the corners of her mouth. A swirling darkness spread out in front of her. It hovered above her legs, darkening the entire room. Something came forth from that darkness. A weight fell onto her thighs, still shrouded by the darkness surrounding it. As Echo reached out, she heard the voice again.

' _I expect great things from you…'_

Her fingers grazed the leather outlines of something square. As she lifted the object, the swirling darkness around it faded. In her hands was a single book. It was tattered and dull-looking, the cover an inconspicuous shade of grey. If placed on a bookshelf, the average person would not give it a second glance. Echo however instantly realised the value of what she had just been granted. Her tail whipped back and forth cautiously as she opened the book, spreading it out across her lap.

Oh, yes. This was going to be good.

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

As silence made its way across the tavern, the Dragonborn called Nala Fennorae knelt down on the wooden floor of her room. It had been a harrowing week, and too many things had happened that the Dragonborn was not comfortable with. She needed a moment. Nala bowed her head, bringing her hands together in the traditional pose of prayer as she focused her thoughts on Bahamut.

And the Dragonborn did not know what to say. She wanted to reflect on her actions, but found herself continuously being pulled back to that moment from a few days ago, when they had just rescued Sildar. The moment where Alatar had tossed the goblin out of the wagon, going in for the kill because of her indecisiveness. The paladin still blamed herself. If she'd been more resolute, that situation probably could have been avoided. At least the goblin from this day – Droop – she had managed to save. It lifted a bit of the weight of her past mistake, somehow.

Nala exhaled, a steely resolve coming over her. She could be better. Much better. No more losing lives over her feelings of doubt. Nala would have to prove it to Bahamut, to the others, and most importantly to herself. But she could do it. Her resolve would not waver again. The Dragonborn closed her eyes, bracing herself.

It was time to be better.

'I am ready.'

For a moment, nothing happened. Nala kept completely still, unmoving as she sensed the air around her. Her heart was pounding in her chest. They did not always answer. If they deemed her unworthy, then Nala would be kept waiting on that dark wooden floor forever. It was the ultimate disgrace. The Dragonborn held her breath as she knelt down, head lowered.

The next second, Nala could feel a small gust of wind pass. When Nala opened her eyes, a shining light had appeared in front of her. Its rays filled the room with a holy presence and the Dragonborn could feel the warmth of the entity in front of her on her scales. She bowed her head respectfully. The entity floated forward, stopping inches away from Nala's head. A soft, melodious voice sounded.

' _Kindle the Light.'_

Nala took a deep breath, preparing herself. When she spoke, it was with a confident, unwavering voice.

'Through acts of mercy, kindness and forgiveness, I will kindle the light of hope in the world, beating back despair,' the Dragonborn said. As her eyes focused on the ground below her, Nala could feel the presence in front of her grow.

' _Shelter the light.'_

'Where there is good, beauty, love and laughter in the world, I will stand against those that would swallow it. Where life flourishes, I will stand against the forces that would render it barren.'

The light grew even brighter. Nala waited for the end of the oath, still looking down out of respect. She did not have to wait long.

' _Preserve your own light… Dragonborn.'_

Something touched Nala's forehead. Very lightly, like the wisp of a feather. When the paladin lifted her head, she could see a pair of kind eyes gazing down on her.

' _Delight in song and laughter, in beauty and art. If you allow the light to die in your own heart, you cannot preserve it in the world. Be the light, my paladin. Be a glorious beacon for all who live in despair. Let the light of joy and courage shine forth in all your deeds.'_

Nala nodded, a smile spreading across her lips. The presence in front of her began to fade away. As the light disappeared, the room around her slowly returned to its normal state. Nala exhaled slowly, her heart still thumping in her chest. She could feel the energy lingering around her.

When the entity had completely vanished, the paladin stood back up. Her whole body felt rejuvenated and a smile played on her face. She nodded to herself.

It was time to be better.

* * *

 _That morning, the group set out for the location of Cragmaw Castle. Surprisingly, Telyn had asked to join them in their adventures. Her line of reasoning was that traveling alone was more dangerous than traveling in a large group – even if said group was about to infiltrate a goblin castle. They spent a night camping out in the woods, preparing for the start of the mission on the next day. At dawn…_

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

With squinted eyes, the Dragonborn scoured the side of the Castle ruins. It was a sad-looking structure, even more run-down and neglected than the Tresendar Manor in Phandalin had been. At some point, two of the towers on the fort's corners had completely crumpled down, leaving large piles of rubble that pushed into the rest of the building. The large doors on the entrance seemed permanently rusted to the ground, overgrown by patches of moss and ivy. There were vague remnants of a garden surrounding the castle, but that too had been almost completely swallowed up by time's decay.

The Dragonborn had spotted no goblins… yet.

'The main entrance looks dangerous,' Angelica whispered from behind her. 'We should find another way in.'

'I agree,' Alatar replied. 'A place that large usually has one or more side entrances. Let's find them.'

'I come too?'

The Dragonborn looked down at the goblin. Droop had a way of vanishing from your mind when you weren't paying active attention to him. It was quite handy sometimes, actually. But even he would probably be at risk in there, Nala thought. It might be better to leave him outside.

'Actually, Droop… you may want to stay behind for this one. It will be dangerous inside.'

Ever since she rescued him from the Redbrand Manor, Droop had taken to her like a pet dog would. If a pet dog had green skin and an earring through his, well, droopy ears. In a weird way, he was kind of cute.

'Droop hide. Good at hiding. Will wait for you.'

Yorda looked at the small goblin, her face completely expressionless. Her eyes trailed towards Nala.

'Do you trust this creature?'

It was a loaded question, and Nala instantly picked up on it. She only doubted for a split second. Then the Dragonborn nodded confidently.

'Yes.'

In response, Yorda pulled out the broad claw that was tied to her side. Angelica and Mialee both raised their eyebrows as they watched the pale half-elf hand the weapon over to Droop.

'Use this to protect yourself if you need to. Hide if you can.'

'Droop good at hiding,' he repeated. The goblin took the claw from her, placing his hand in the glove. The claw was almost too big for him. Droop stared at it for a fraction of a second, before darting off into the bushes. He vanished almost immediately.

'Oh yes, arming the dubious goblin is a fantastic idea!' Angelica said sarcastically. 'Surely that won't come back to bite us later.'

The group took off, with Mialee taking point as they slowly and cautiously made their way around the castle. Nala kept an eye out for any movement behind the building's windows and openings. Nothing. The area was strangely silent. Eerily so. Were they just a very disciplined bunch, or were they lying in wait for them? Nala couldn't tell. It made her nervous.

'Wait,' Yorda suddenly spoke, nearly making the Dragonborn jump in the air as she abruptly lifted her arm. 'There.'

Her outstretched fingers pointed at another large pile of rubble, the remnants of what had been part of the outside wall. At first glance, there wasn't really anything there.

'What? What am I looking for?'

'A passage into the building. Between those two chunks of stone.'

'It's all chunks of stone. Be more specific, please.'

'The ones on the right. Near that wooden beam.'

Nala squinted her eyes, looking at the pile of rubble again. Yorda was right. There, almost completely hidden from view, was a small hole. A darkness lay inside, indicating that the passage continued inwards. It was just a bit too well-hidden to be a coincidence. That was a hidden entrance.

'Nicely spotted, Yorda,' Nala nodded to the glowing half-elf. Then she reconsidered. Nala looked at the passageway, frowning.

'I don't fit through there.'

'Definitely not,' Angelica grinned, even though she wasn't all that much smaller herself. In fact, except for Nala, the Tiefling was probably the largest one there. They could send Mialee in, but if there really was an ambush, the copper-skinned elf wouldn't stand a chance. The same went for Alatar. Nala's frown deepened as she carefully contemplated her options.

On her left, the form of Yorda suddenly shifted. The pale half-elf grabbed Nala by the elbow as her body shrunk down.

'A circle means it's safe, okay?'

'Uh, okay?' the Dragonborn replied, not really understanding what was happening. The next moment Yorda had disappeared. Nala could see a single, faintly glowing white mouse scurry through the grass towards the castle. It vanished from sight almost immediately. The Dragonborn could just barely make out its tail sliding across the corner of the rubble. Then it was gone. The rest of the group stayed behind, waiting awkwardly.

It didn't take Yorda long to return. Before too long Nala could see something white at her feet. She looked down to see a glowing mouse, running around in a big circle.

'It's safe? What did you see?'

Squeaking. Right. Because she was a mouse. Nala shook her head, concentrated for a moment and cast _Speak with animals_ on herself. The forest around the Dragonborn immediately got ten times louder as Nala could suddenly understand everything that was crawling around in it. She shook her head again, focusing on the mouse in front of her. With her large, scaly hand, she lifted the tiny creature into the air.

'What did you see, Yorda?'

'It's an abandoned room- a storage room, I think. Lots of old barrels and crates. It _really_ smells. There's a single closed door, but it didn't sound like there was anyone behind it. They don't seem to be aware that there's a passage on this side. But I cannot go further unless someone opens the door for me.'

The Dragonborn repeated her words to the rest of the group. Her gaze landed on Mialee, who seemed to understand her immediately. The elf nodded once. She then turned around and headed over to the passage as well, followed by Yorda. The two disappeared around the corner and, once again, vanished from sight.

'We should get closer, as well,' the Dragonborn mumbled to the rest of the group. 'If the coast is clear, we can go in.'

With that, the remainder of the group also started stealthing over to the hidden entrance. The passageway was completely still and dark, nothing supposedly moving inside. As Nala drew closer, she cast another glance at the hole. It really was quite small. She would not be able to fit through _and_ remain quiet. That was a problem. She was going to have to either power her way through, possibly alerting everyone in the castle, or stay behind. Neither of those options were very attractive. Angelica seemed to realize the problem as well. She looked up at the Dragonborn, eyebrows slightly raised.

'Perhaps you should go back to the front-'

She never got to finish that sentence. Because all of a sudden a loud, metallic clunk resounded from inside the castle, paired with a goblin voice that yelled out:

'INTRUDERRRRRR!'

Damn it.

Nala cursed under her breath. They were seen. At least that meant that the Dragonborn no longer had to make a choice anymore. She glanced at the wizard and the Tiefling in front of her and gestured at the passage.

'Well, what are you waiting for?! Get in there!'

Alatar shot her a dirty look. But they did as she asked, diving into the passage and vanishing from sight. Nala braced herself. She raised her shield, holding it in front of her body. This was going to be unpleasant. The Dragonborn lowered her head, tensed her muscles and took off, running into the narrow passage as hard as she could. It didn't fit. Not even a little- her shoulders and sides got caught in the rubble right away. The Dragonborn could feel sharp pieces of wood and stone jabbing at her skin. She ground her teeth and took it, charging forward like an angry bull. To her left, she could hear something tear. The rubble shifted.

The next second Nala was through, running into the storeroom on the other side. It was empty. The Dragonborn quickly took in her surroundings as she ran by – a dusty stone floor, with rubble and old, stinking barrels and crates stacked up against the wall. Cobwebs covered it all. There was an open door on the other side. Angelica and the wizard must have run ahead through there. The Dragonborn quickly followed. She drew her sword, ready for whatever was on the other side as she charged through the door.

And came to a sudden halt. She came out into a badly-kept hallway, but that wasn't the issue. No, the issue was Mialee. Standing right in the middle of the hallway. With two bloodied swords and two hobgoblins, fully armoured, lying dead at her feet. Angelica and Alatar stood on the side, looking down in stunned silence. The wizard had not even started casting his spells yet. The only one who seemed agitated was Yorda. The pale half-elf had changed back into her normal form and was gesturing at Mialee with a confused expression on her face.

'Why did you rush in? I scout ahead, and a circle means it's safe to follow- wasn't that the plan?'

'I forgot,' the brown-haired elf said sheepishly.

'You _forgot_?!' Alatar said, clearly angry.

'I handled it, did I not?'

That she clearly did. There were two dead hobgoblins on the floor, and not a scratch on Mialee. At this point, the Dragonborn honestly could not tell if it was because of her barbaric fighting style, or just due to sheer luck. But it worked, nonetheless. It dawned on Nala that the elf might have chosen the wrong weapon to specialise in.

'I hear something,' Yorda suddenly said. The pale half-elf had turned away from the group, ears trained on the door on the other side of the hallway.

'Footsteps?' the wizard asked, alarmed.

'No. Banging. Something else is making a lot of noise further in.'

'More noise than the commotion that we just made?'

'I don't know.'

'Damn it.' He turned to the rest of the group. 'We can't stay here. Either we move in, or we get out right now and wait for a better moment.'

'There won't be a better moment,' Angelica replied. 'The second they find those dead hobgoblins, our advantage will be gone. We move in.'

The others nodded. There was no choice now. Mialee once again took point, moving towards a curtain on the far side of the hallway. The hobgoblins had come running through there previously. The brown-haired elf cautiously pushed the curtain aside, revealing a bedchamber of some sort- much like the one below Tresendar Manor, in fact. Four smelly beds were placed against the wall, a small brazier at their feet. The rest of the room was empty.

Suddenly, Yorda perked up.

'The banging stopped.'

Nala and Telyn exchanged a nervous expression. That was bad. They might have less time than they thought. She looked behind her to see both Alatar and Angelica slowly walking backwards, headed back to the storage room. She and the Tiefling made eye contact. Angelica gestured at the hobgoblin corpses. It didn't take much for Nala to understand what was asked of her. Someone was bound to come look for these two- but if they didn't know that the party was here, then they could lay out an ambush. The Dragonborn walked over to the dead guards, grabbed them by their armour and started to drag them off to the other room. Yorda and Mialee followed. The pale half-elf kept to the back, walking past the stacked barrels and stopping on the other side of the round chamber. There was another curtain there. She pressed her ear to it, listening intently.

'Something is coming this way.'

'How many goblins?' Angelica asked softly. The group moved into position; the Tiefling and the wizard in the back, with Mialee and Telyn to the side. Nala stood in front, ready to face a new wave of goblins coming at them. Yorda was still at the curtain. Her head was cocked slightly, and as she listened, a confused expression appeared on her face.

'Not goblins. Something else… something big.'

That did not sound good at all. Nala readied her shield, unsure of what to expect. From the corner of her eyes, she could see the Tiefling position herself in such a way that the Dragonborn was right in front of her, and the exit right at her back. She couldn't decide on whether that was smart and strategic, or cowardly. Probably both. It also didn't matter. Nala focused on the curtain, ready to counter. A second passed… then another. The group stood silently, not making a sound. Waiting.

Then Nala could hear it too. Heavy, scratching footsteps of... something. The paladin raised her long sword, ready to parry any incoming weapons.

The next second, the curtain was violently pushed to the side. And it wasn't a goblin. It almost took Nala a full second to understand what was charging at her, that's how much the creature in front of her threw her off balance. And then it _really_ threw her off balance. The beast slammed into her shield, shoving the Dragonborn off to the side as it powered its way through. Nala ended up falling over, looking back at the creature in stunned confusion.

It was an owlbear. And the beast was massive. Giant, sharp-looking claws dug into the castle's stone floor as the beast powered its way into the room. Its fur was mottled, and the Dragonborn could see a few bald spots on its head where there should have been feathers. Its beak was wide open. A terrible shriek accompanied the beast as it ran. It had ploughed right through the paladin, swatting both her and her shield aside as if they were nothing. It charged past, running straight for Angelica.

'Look out!'

The Tiefling had not been prepared for that. She tried to jump out of the way, but wasn't quick enough. The owlbear rammed into her. Its beak clasped around her upper leg, tearing the fabric of her pants and slicing into the flesh underneath.

'OWW! Let go!'

She tried to break free from its grasp, but the beast was too powerful. It dragged the Tiefling along with it, forcing her daggers out of her hands as Angelica was knocked to the ground from the impact. It was going to run straight out the door with her!

'I… said… Let _GO_!'

With a mighty kick in its eye from her other leg, Angelica finally forced the beast to let go. It had torn her leg up pretty badly. A red puddle had already started to form underneath her.

The Tiefling took one look at her maimed, blood-soaked thigh and growled, her eyes suddenly changing colour. They started to glow an eerie white, contrasting sharply with her dark hair – that suddenly flared up with black, flame-like arcane energy. The darkness engulfed her shoulders and arms, traveling down to her hands and past her lithe, outstretched fingers. In a hellish rage, Angelica pointed at the owlbear. The black flames followed her directions, shooting off her arms and coursing straight for the creature. It only took a split second for the owlbear to be completely engulfed.

The bear let out a horrible bellow. Nala could smell burnt flesh. The owlbear shook its body furiously, slamming into the crates to get rid of the hellish flames. Then, with another terrible bellow, it took off. It almost trampled Mialee, who jumped out of the way at the last second. But the owlbear wasn't attacking. It coursed straight for the exit. In a panicked frenzy, the beast powered its way through the hidden passage. Pieces of rubble came crashing down as it forced its large body through, much like Nala had done before.

The next second, it was outside. The owlbear didn't look back even once. It ran straight for the woods, a few black flames still clinging to its body and charring the feathers around its neck. It didn't care. The beast broke through the treeline, vanishing into the woods almost instantly.

And it was gone.

With a confused head-shake, Nala picked herself up from the ground. So far, she was _really_ not liking this castle. And they hadn't even explored three rooms yet. What would be next?

'That was impressive, Tiefling,' Alatar spoke. Angelica made a gesture that sat somewhere between a nod and a shrug.

'Let's be happy that thing felt like fleeing more than eating us. I don't want to fight something that knocks down our Dragonborn that easily.'

Nala couldn't decide if that was a compliment, or an insult. Perhaps it was a bit of both. She shrugged the comment off, not thinking too much of it. The paladin grabbed her shield from the ground. She looked at Yorda as the tiny half-elf poked her head around the room's exit and gazed at the treeline.

'Did you _see_ that? It was magnificent!'

'Yeah, that's not the word I would use,' the Dragonborn replied. 'It was dangerous and it made a lot of noise. If the castle wasn't aware of us before, they will be now. We need to press on.'

The brown-haired elf nodded. She headed for the hallway again. Her swords were drawn and there was a determined gleam in her eyes. Nala quickly followed her, passing by Alatar and Angelica as the wizard shot the Tiefling a dark look.

'We're going to end up dead if they keep charging in like that,' he growled. The Tiefling could do nothing but shrug.

As Nala stepped back into the hallway, Mialee had already moved ahead. At the end of the long room stood a single set of large, wooden doors. They looked more elaborate and important than what Nala had seen of the castle so far. A war room, perhaps?

Mialee did not give her time to really think about it, because the brown-haired elf had already moved up to the doors. She grabbed the handle just as Nala opened her mouth.

'Wait! Don't-'

Too late. Mialee pulled the door open, revealing a large, round chamber. Nala could just make out a large, dusty table and a fireplace before her sight was entirely blocked by another bugbear. It vaguely reminded her of Klarg- if Klarg was about 20 years older, greying and with a much, much more intelligent look in his eyes than his normal self. This bugbear was slightly smaller than Klarg, and was hunched over from old age. But there was something about him that made Nala feel very uneasy. He had a certain air about him. She realised that this had to be king Groll. By taking the hidden passage, the group had ended up right next to the beast's lair – literally.

Groll stood perfectly still, looking down on Mialee with a cold and calculating look in his eyes. He wasn't making the first move. That was new. Nala cautiously took a few steps forward, joining Mialee at the door. His gaze travelled from the brown-haired elf to her.

'Are you king Groll?' the Dragonborn asked cautiously.

'I am.'

He still wasn't attacking. The paladin had half expected Groll to sic the entire castle on them by now, but the elderly bugbear seemed surprisingly cautious. Nala realised that he really was smarter than the average bugbear. There was an opportunity here. If he was cautious enough to let them make the first move, perhaps he would be cautious enough to hear them out. Perhaps they could solve this without bloodshed – but she would need to choose her words very, very carefully.

'We… have been asked to remove you from the castle.'

'And what makes you think you can accomplish that?'

'You don't scare us, mongrel,' Mialee pitched in, completely misreading the already tense situation. Nala could feel the air around her turning colder. The elderly bugbear before her frowned, reaching for the iron mace on his side. He stopped just short of grabbing it and glanced at Mialee and Nala with a calculating look in his eyes. The brown-haired elf missed that visual clue, too. Her voice dropped to a threatening, almost insulting tone.

'We've killed bigger things. We can kill you.'

The elderly bugbear smiled… and stepped away. In a split second, he had turned the corner of the room and disappeared from sight.

'You can't run from us, bugbear!' Mialee yelled out, making Nala groan slightly. The door was left wide open, inviting the party in. The Dragonborn cursed under her breath. She instinctively knew that this was a trap. But the hallway was too narrow to go into the room at another angle, and it dawned on Nala that neither her nor Mialee had checked the hallways behind them for traps.

The Dragonborn firmly grabbed hold of her shield. This was going to hurt. But someone had to, and Nala was the bulkiest person in the group. She inhaled sharply, moving past Mialee as she shot the elf a very angry look. Sword drawn, Nala stepped into the room-

And was immediately hammered from all sides. The paladin could see the large iron mace from before swoop through the sky and slam into her shield, almost knocking her off balance. Something hairy pounced her from behind, finding purchase between the plates on her shoulder. Nala let out a scream as she felt sharp claws and fangs sink deep into her skin. She reached behind her, grabbing a fistful of fur. With a powerful heave, the paladin threw the beast off of her. It crashed down next to Groll. Another wolf. This one was a silvery grey, and in considerably better condition than the ones that they'd ran into so far.

The beast jumped right back up, snarling at Nala as its master swung his mace at her again. This time he bypassed the shield, whacking Nala across the chest. Hard. The Dragonborn was forced to lower her sword and retreat into a defensive position.

'Get out of the doorway!'

Alatar's voice. Nala moved over to the right, making room for the rest of the group to move in. As she stayed behind her shield, the Dragonborn quickly skimmed the inside of the room. There was a single bed in the corner, a fireplace with a couple of chairs, and a large table in the middle of the room with some filthy bags on top it. There seemed to be nobody else in the room. Just Groll and his pet wolf. That was good. They could handle that. Nala guarded herself from another strike from Groll's mace and brought her own weapon back up.

And something pierced her backside.

At first, the Dragonborn barely noticed it. Then her brain caught up to the rest of her body, and a red-hot pain spread throughout her back and chest. Slowly, Nala turned her head. There was a blade sticking out of her body. Slit right underneath the edge of her armour. A dark grey hand lingered on the hilt of that blade. Nala's gaze travelled upward, to the person who had stabbed her in the back. It was a Drow. A grey-skinned woman, cloaked and covered in dark leather armour. Her long hair was the same shade of white as her eyes – with no pupils, but clearly trained on her target. A cold smile spread on her face as she returned Nala's gaze.

'Good night.'

She pulled her blade back, followed by a sea of blood. Nala's vision started swimming almost instantly. Her knees buckled underneath her. The Dragonborn crashed to the ground, falling as Mialee looked on in horror. The feet of Angelica and Alatar came running by. In a rapidly darkening world, Nala's gaze followed the Drow woman. She danced away from the group, moving to the back of the room. There had been one other person there. She had missed him before. A brown-haired, bushy-bearded dwarf was lying on the ground, unconscious. Gundrin. Nala could do nothing but watch as the Drow woman reached him, grabbed his head, lifted him up… and slit his throat, making blood spill out across the dirty floor. His body convulsed once, twice… and stopped moving.

Ah.

They'd failed.

Everything went black as Nala lost consciousness.


	10. Chapter 3,2 - Aftermath

**3.2 – Aftermath**

* * *

 **Mialee**

* * *

'Bend your arm.'

A single bead of sweat dripped down Mialee's brow, her arms shaking as she tried to keep the bow strung. Her hands, still small and childlike, had trouble holding the – for her size – massive weapon. The young wood elf had insisted to try and shoot with this bow, rather than the child-sized one. As expected, it was nearly beyond her abilities. But the brown-haired elf was stubborn. She was going to shoot with this one. She had been struggling to keep herself locked in position, refusing to give up – until one of the older students, Taeral, reached for her arms. His light brown hair fell over his eyes as Taeral readjusted Mialee's grip.

'If you lock your arms, your hold will worsen. Do not worry about being able to shoot perfectly. Nock the arrow, draw as far as you can, then release.'

Mialee did as he instructed, frowning deeply. She drew the arrow back as far as she could manage. Her arms were shaking like leaves. The green-eyed elf exhaled slowly, waiting until the pressure became almost unbearable before finally letting go. The arrow shot forth from her bow, landing a few meters ahead of her in the open field.

'Good,' Taeral nodded. Mialee looked up at him, the frown still on her face.

'But I didn't hit the target.'

'It's a heavy bow; aiming properly with your current abilities will be difficult. But you demonstrated discipline and proper control over your own body. That's more than most rookies can do. You did well.'

As he stepped away, a smirk appeared on his face.  
'You should work on your stance, though. You looked like a fawn that's about to fall over.'  
The young elf huffed angrily.  
'As you said. It's a heavy bow.'  
'So it is. Why don't you train with the lighter one for now?'  
'I can handle this one.'  
'Stubborn like her mother,' Taeral laughed. 'Do as you wish. I look forward to the day that you live up to that bow.'

'I'll be better than you someday, Taeral. Just you watch,' Mialee replied with a determined look in her eyes. Taeral shook his head, laughing.  
'I don't know about that, Mialee. My first kill was a bear. Come back when you've killed something bigger than that. Then we'll talk.'

Mialee huffed again, turning away from the older elf. She drew her bow, focusing on the target on the other side of the field. It was a large ring, wooden and painted green with the symbol of clan Lavelan; a single stalk of wheat, going through a straight limb bow. As she aimed the weapon, her arms once again started to shake.

'… _ake up.'_

With considerable difficulty, Mialee trained the arrow on the target in front of her. As the sun moved in the sky, the target slowly changed colours. The greenish brown turned to a pale shade of emerald, shifting under the morning sun. It was a familiar colour, but the young elf could not recall why. Mialee lowered the bow, confused. What was going on?

' _Wake up!'_

She blinked. The shifting colour was still there, and the scenery around her was fading rapidly. The trees and bushes around her turned into cold, hard stone. A dusty ceiling filled her vision, together with the realisation that she was lying on something hard. The floor. Why was she lying on the floor?

Mialee blinked again, and the outlines of Telyn's face became visible. The young woman was sitting on her knees, hands pressed against Mialee's chest as she was rapidly healing her wounds. Her emerald eyes looked at Mialee with worry.

'Hey, stay with me now! You're all right, I've got you!'

There was something lying on the ground next to her. Slowly, Mialee turned her head to the right. Golden scales. She blinked. It took the brown-haired elf a few seconds to realise that it was Nala, floored and unconscious.

Oh. Right. They'd charged into a fight with King Groll. Mialee remembered a large wolf and a dark-skinned Drow woman… and the impact of Groll's mace on her body, knocking her down.

Then nothing.

Right. That happened.

As Mialee struggled to become aware of the world around her, something large and white bent over Nala's body. The elf could see fur, drenched in blood, before the form suddenly shifted. The next second the bear had swapped out for Yorda. She was casting the same spell on Nala that Telyin was using on her. The pale glowing half-elf was considerably less white than before. On the contrary; over half of her body was covered in dark red blood.

Telyin's spell had completed. The young bard instantly got up and moved away from Mialee, leaving her field of vision. Slowly, Mialee sat up. She cast a glance around her. Alatar was standing in a corner, where the bed had originally been. There was not much left of the thing. Something had torn the corner to shreds, and the wizard was standing with pieces of what looked like shattered glass in his hands. He threw them to the ground, cursing softly. Angelica stood not too far away from him. She seemed rattled, her hair wild and messy. When the two locked eyes, Angelica gave the wood elf a single nod.

'Welcome back.'

'What happened?'

'We won,' the Tiefling sighed, with a wry smile. 'Just barely. The Drow woman got away, though.'  
Right, there had been a third person in the room. The one that had taken out Nala in the beginning.

'She took the map to Wave Echo cave with her,' Angelica scoffed. 'Alatar tried to stop her, but he shattered the bed instead. She teleported outside.'  
Yorda's healing spell had completed. The Dragonborn groaned slightly. She sat up, looking around with the same confused expression that Mialee had a few moments ago.  
'The bugbear?'

'Dead,' Angelica answered. She pointed to her left; King Groll was lying in a pool of his own blood, his throat seemingly ripped open. Mialee saw the large teeth marks around his jugular and remembered Yorda's blood-covered form. It wasn't hard to do the math.

'Gundrin?' the paladin asked, looking past Yorda to the other side of the room. Telyn had walked over to another form on the ground – the dense, unmoving body of Gundrin Rockseeker. Her hands glowed with arcane energy as she placed her palms over his throat, which was soaked in dwarven blood. A second passed. Then another. Gundrin's body remained still and unmoving. Telyn placed her finger on his neck, seeking a pulse. After a few seconds she pulled her hand back and shook her head.

It was too late. Gundrin was gone.

'Damn it!' Nala yelled out in anger. She rose up, paced for a few seconds, then turned to Mialee with rage shining through her golden eyes.

'This is your doing,' Nala said. Mialee hadn't expected that. She stood up, looking at the Dragonborn in confusion.

'What?'  
'Don't "what" me, Mialee! What the hell were you thinking?! You put everyone in danger and almost got both of us killed! And Gundrin is dead!'

'I didn't kill the dwarf!' Mialee replied. 'That was the Drow!'

'We could have talked them down! You were the one that charged in without waiting, and you were the one that insulted the bugbear when we could have tried to bargain with them! Your recklessness cost Gundrin his life!'

'I didn't mean to-'

'I don't care what you meant!' the Dragonborn yelled, a small trace of smoke trailing up from her right nostril. 'Gundrin is dead, and that death is on your hands! I trusted you. I was willing to give you a chance. But this is the second time that you've endangered the lives of everyone in the group! I'm warning you – _there will not be a third time_!'

Mialee opened her mouth, then closed it again. She didn't know how to respond. Nala's anger threw her off balance, and her words stung. She hadn't meant for anyone to get hurt. She just hadn't… thought about it.

'I… I'm sorry.'

'It's a little too late for that now, isn't it?' the voice of Alatar sounded. He came walking back from the shattered bed, an angry gleam in his brown eyes. 'The dwarf is already dead.'

With a flick of his wrist, he threw the broken pieces of a potion flask on the ground.

'I didn't mean-'

'I don't care what you meant either, elf,' the wizard cut her off. Where Nala had raised her voice in anger, Alatar's tone lowered. He actually spoke softer than usual, but his menacing tone was unmistakable.

'I warned you all about this. You're a liability to the group. Your idiocy could have cost all of us our lives. You will not endanger my life again, do you hear me? Next time, I will kill you.'

He, very visibly, reached for the dagger on his hip. Mialee clenched her fists. She refused to answer, looking away from the wizard instead.

'Did you hear me, elf? I said you need to learn to control yourself. Because that dwarf over there? Gundrin? His blood is on your hands. And not just his. If you don't learn proper control, a lot of people will end up dead because of you.'

It was not completely unwarranted, but the tone and ferocity that Alatar used on her made Mialee turn away from him. She crossed eyes with Nala; the Dragonborn was still staring her down angrily. She would receive no help from there. Mialee liked Nala, and seeing the paladin look at her like that hurt a little. She really hadn't meant for all that to happen. The wood elf just hadn't… thought about it. She should have. Maybe Gundrin wouldn't have died then. Guilt rose up inside of her. Maybe, if she had been a little more cautious, she could have saved him. She'd always been rash. Even back then, when… no, she couldn't think about that now. Mialee quickly walked away from the group, moving towards the sacks on the table to distract herself. The brown-haired elf grabbed the nearest bag. It wasn't more than a crudely made sack. It smelled, too. The bottom was stained a shade darker than the rest of it. Expecting hunting meat or other supplies, Mialee untied the cord and opened it.

And froze. The wood elf could feel all the blood draining from her face as she looked down at the contents of the bag. Her fingers slipped from the edge, falling limp at her sides.

There, lying on the dirty bottom, was an elf head. But it wasn't just any elf. In there was Taeral, her old training companion. His light brown hair was stained with his own blood. His eyes were glassy. A thin trickle of blood had dried up on the side of his mouth.

Mialee could feel the world around her starting to blur. Blood flowed to her head and chest, making her feel like she was choking. Her heart beat in her throat furiously. A single memory, one that she had been suppressing for a long time, once again floated to the surface. Burning houses. A bloodied axe, digging into the back of a young child. Screaming and yelling as elves ran in terror from a legion of orcs, all armed to the teeth and killing indiscriminately. A hobgoblin, slitting the throat of one of her friends. Rage filled her chest, spreading until it filled every inch of her body. The next second, Mialee was back in the dusty war room.

And the elf took off. Mialee bolted through the door, almost trampling Telyn in the process. She roughly shoved the young bard aside as she stormed out. The brown-haired elf coursed straight through the hallways, back to the storage room with the hobgoblin corpses. As she ran, she pulled her swords out of their sheaths. Her foot almost slipped on a pebble on the way there, but Mialee didn't care. She coursed straight for the nearest hobgoblin corpse, raised her blades and started stabbing. Once. Twice. Three times. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Mialee pulled back the blades violently, ripping a vein and making a spray of green goblin blood burst out from the body. It covered her almost from head to toe. She didn´t care. In a frenzied rage, the wood elf kept stabbing.

And stabbing.

And stabbing.

Finally, Mialee noticed someone else being in the room. She turned around, swords still raised, only to lock eyes with Yorda.

'What?!' the wood elf snapped at her. 'Did you come to lecture me, too?'

'No.'  
'What, then?' Mialee reacted angrily. The pale half-elf's gaze travelled down to the remains of the hobgoblin. After the stabbing, there wasn't much left. Yorda's presence made Mialee suddenly become very aware of what she was doing. She had let her emotions get the better of her. Again. But she just couldn't help it. The anger inside of her demanded to be let out.

'You mentioned before that you hate them. And orcs, too. Why is that?'

The memory flashed before her eyes again. Mialee couldn't contain it. She turned around, driving her blade deep into the hobgoblin's shoulder. As she stabbed, Mialee could hear herself growling the answer to Yorda's question.

'Because they killed' -stab- 'everyone' –stab- 'I cared about!'

The brown-haired elf slashed widely, hitting the hobgoblin's neck. The blade sunk through the vertebrae, cleanly severing the head from its shoulders. It rolled back with a soft rustling sound. Mialee rose back up, breathing heavily. She turned around to face Yorda. The glowing half-elf was looking at her with a completely neutral expression on her face, not reacting to her outburst of rage in the slightest. The sight of her made Mialee calm down a little bit. It was enough to make her remember Taeral, bloodied and reduced to just a trophy in a stained bag. The last bit of rage left her body. Her shoulders sagged, blades lowering back to her side.

'They took everyone away from me.'

In that moment, Mialee felt alone. Very, very alone. She needed someone to confide in – even if it meant sharing her feelings with that weird half-elf. It would have to do. Half a person was better than none at all. With a hollow voice, Mialee began to talk.

'We had a small village in the woods. Just me and my clan- Lavelan, we were called. We were far from the rest of civilisation. Just my clan, and the woods around us. Maybe that made us a target. A band of orcs and other cutthroats caught wind of our existence. We never had as much as a warning. They killed everyone I knew. Men, women, children. It was horrific. I was the only one who survived… or so I thought.'

'That person in the bag was one of your clanmembers,' Yorda responded, putting one and one together instantly. Mialee nodded.

'His name was Taeral. He used to help me with my training. When I was old enough to learn, he was the one that taught me how to keep a good stance. It has been _years_ \- I thought that he had perished along with all the others.'

But he hadn't died. No- he had, but not all those years ago. This death was recent. Very recent, judging from the fresh blood. Recalling the image made Mialee feel nauseous. It also made waves of sadness and anger roll over her simultaneously. He had been alive. She had wandered the wilderness for _years_ , convinced that everyone she knew was gone, her spirit battered and broken, and _he had been alive that whole time_. Where had he been? Why hadn't he tried to find her? A thousand questions echoed in Mialee's head – questions that would remain forever unanswered, as Taeral was dead. Decapitated by a hobgoblin. On the same day that they might have met. It was the ultimate injustice.

The despair must have been visible on Mialee's face, because Yorda suddenly reached out and touched her hand.

'You have not seen this person since then?'

'No. I had no idea he was even alive. I thought I was alone. I guess I was right - I _am_ alone.'

Her voice broke as she spoke. Yorda lightly tilted her head, touching the back of her hand again. The gesture was somehow comforting.

'I am sorry for your loss, Mia. But I don't think you're alone.'

The pale half-elf gave her a tiny smile.

'I know we only met a week ago, and we just had a… bad moment… but you do have us, for what it's worth. If you want to. The others will calm down soon enough. Plus, even if Taeral passed away- the fact that you found him is still a good thing.'

'Why?' Mialee asked.

'If he was alive, then other members of your clan might have survived as well. There were three sacks on that table. If their heads are not in there, then they might still be alive. And if they are alive… then you can find them, right?'

It took a few seconds for those words to sink in. Then Mialee's heart began to pound as her mind caught up to the rest of her body. Yorda was right. There might still be hope. If anything, this was a lead. And that was more than she'd had in many, many years. She finally had a lead. Mialee reached forward, touching the pale half-elf on the shoulder in a genuine moment of gratitude.

'Thank you, Yorda.'

'I will help you search, if you want,' Yorda replied. 'Nala will too, if you ask her… though maybe not right now. Right now she's a bit angry.'

The brown-haired elf let out a chuckle. That was quite the understatement. She put her swords back in their sheaths, wiping some hobgoblin blood off her face in the process. Perhaps she really had been too hasty. She hadn't had companions in a long time. Thinking before acting. She could do that. It was something to start working on… after she traced that lead back to her clan.

'Come on. I want to check those other bags.'

Yorda gave a single nod. The wood elf exited the room and walked back across the corridor, returning to the war room.

* * *

 **Upon inspecting the other two bags, the group found two more elf heads inside – the head of a woman and a child. Both were unknown to Mialee. She buried the heads outside, with the help of Angelica and Nala. After a quick rest, the group banded together to clear the rest of the castle of goblins. They were successful, completing their mission for Sildar. Upon exiting the castle…**

* * *

Right when the group was about to leave the war room, there was a knock on the door. Nothing else. Just a simple knock. But after the group had been fighting through goblins and hobgoblins and creepy worms all day, they were still on edge. Everyone looked at the door, unsure of what to do.

Then Yorda called out.

'Who is it?'

A few seconds of silence, before a shrill voice answered:

'Droop here.'

'Wait, seriously?' Angelica thought out loud. A smile appeared on Nala's face. She walked over and opened the door, letting the tiny goblin in.

'How did you know it was safe?' the Dragonborn asked curiously. Droop just shrugged.

'Droop hide. Got quiet after a while. Figured all were dead. Droop right.'

'He actually came back,' Angelica said. She seemed quite surprised. The goblin shrugged again, looking at the wizard from the corner of his eyes.

'Droop nowhere to go.'

The way he said that tugged on Mialee's heartstrings a little. For a moment, she put her dislike for goblins aside and asked:

'Don't you have any family? Relatives?'

'Had relatives. Treated Droop worse than you did.'

He marched over to Yorda, handing her back the claw. That came as a surprise to the group, too. They looked at him with mixed expressions on their faces, even Alatar, while Droop just stood there.

'You're really alone?'

'Droop nowhere to go.'

The brown-haired elf felt a strange sense of kinship with the goblin. She could almost not believe it herself. Nala seemed to have the same thoughts. The Dragonborn lowered herself down on one knee, down to Droop's level.

'You can stay with us, if you want.'

'Droop knows. Is captive.'

'No, no – that's not what I meant. I don't want you in the group as a prisoner. If you stay, you should stay because you want to.'

'Droop not understand.'

On their left, Yorda walked over to Angelica and whispered something in her ear. The Tiefling looked confused for a second, but handed over her dagger. Yorda immediately started carving something into the broad claw. Nala didn't notice this, as she still focused on the goblin in front of her.

'I mean you're free. You can choose for yourself. You can stay with us if you want. But if you want to leave, we won't harm you. You're free to choose your own path from now on. I give you my word.'

The tiny goblin looked at the Dragonborn in front of him for a good long while. Then his gaze travelled over the rest of the group. He spent considerably more time on Alatar than on the others. Eventually, he seemed to come to a decision. Droop looked back at Nala, nodding once.

'Droop stay.'

A broad smile appeared on Nala's face. She rose back up, glancing at the rest of the group.

'Does anyone have a problem with that?'

Angelica, Telyn and Alatar merely shrugged. Mialee did the same, deciding to shelf her opinion about this particular goblin for a while. Yorda however, mimicking Nala's smile, stepped towards the goblin.

'Here. This is yours now.'

She once again handed him the claw. As Mialee took a better look, she noticed the carving in the fur handle piece. It had been crudely drawn, roughly spelling the letters D-R-O-O-P, in a child-like handwriting. Droop glanced at the letters for a moment, before looking back up.

'Droop can't read.'

'It's your name,' Yorda replied. The tiny goblin glanced at the letters again, frowning.

'Claw not my name.'

'No, she carved your name into the claw,' Nala said. Droop looked at the weapon again.

'Carved in that easy? Bad craftsmanship.'

Alatar snickered. The whole situation seemed to amuse him. He went ignored by Nala, who once again knelt down in front of Droop. She put out her hand. Droop hesitated for a moment, before grabbing onto it with his own and shaking. It earned him a single smile.

'Welcome to the party, Droop.'


	11. Chapter 3,3 - Revenge

**3.3 – Revenge**

* * *

 **Toblen Stonehill**

* * *

Toblen Stonehill looked up from the counter curiously when he heard the tavern doors open. It had been a quiet day. It was just him, Quelleen from the farm and Narn the miner. The greying innkeeper hadn't expected any other visitors. It was already late, and most miners chose to stay with their families instead of drinking on nights like this. Most of them. As for Narn, well- he was always there. Toblen had expected to have but one drunkard to keep an eye on tonight.

But he had been wrong – as he looked on, a familiar group of adventurers came in. They were a weird bunch – a human, three elves, a Dragonborn and a Tiefling, all seemingly getting along. They even had a little goblin pet. He would have been more suspicious of them, if they hadn't proven themselves to be very capable and dependable people. They had freed Phandalin from the Redbrands on their very first day here, and were closely connected to Sildar, the current unofficial mayor of the town. Not three days past, they had set out to rescue a certain dwarf from the clutches of goblins– and Toblen had had no doubt that they would be successful.

But from the looks of them, they were not. In fact, all five of them had grim, reserved expressions on their faces. Toblen had not seen that look on them before. He waved at them regardless, attempting to give the group a warm welcome.

'It's good to see you all in one piece! Your rooms are just the way you left them, if you wish to re-rent. I'm glad you all made it back safely.'

'Not all of us did,' Nala muttered. She glanced at the brown-haired elf next to her. The Dragonborn seemed to be in a particularly sour mood. Toblen gave a confused look to the second elf, a pink-haired young girl with a flute. She shook her head at him with a regretful expression.

'We lost Gundrin. We managed to clear the ruins from goblins, but we couldn't save him.'

'I… am sorry to hear that,' Toblen replied. 'I'm sure you did all you could.'

From the corner of his eye, he could see the gold-skinned Dragonborn glance at Mialee again. Something was definitely going on there. But Toblen was a wise man, and he knew better than to pry.

'Well, if there's anything you need, you know where to find me.'

'Actually, I do have a request,' Telyn replied, just as he was about to get back to his work. 'Would you be willing to provide me with lodging if I performed in your inn?'

'Performed?' the brown-haired barkeep asked.

'Yes. I may not look like it, but I'm pretty handy with an instrument.'

Toblen looked around his inn. It was still just him, Quelleen and Narn, no matter how you looked at it. But he did owe them. Toblen shrugged, gesturing at an empty spot between the inn's tables.

'All right, knock yourself out. You can have the first room on the left when you're done.'

Telyn nodded enthusiastically. Without another word to the rest of the group, she took out her flute and got into position. Before too long, a pleasant melody filled the inside of the tavern. The girl wasn't lying – she really was quite talented. Toblen could see both Quelleen and Narn visibly enjoying the change in atmosphere. The Dragonborn and one of the elves, the pale glowy one, joined to listen to her as well. Before too long Quelleen got up from her seat. She walked over to Telyn without a word, then nodded approvingly. A single gold coin was placed on the table next to her. The pale elf looked at the display with a slightly tilted head. She dug around in her pockets and added a coin, as well. The Dragonborn followed suit. For a moment, Toblen was taken aback by the massive tips Telyn was getting. But she really was good, no doubt about it. He nodded to himself. She'd earned that gold- and the room.

'Excuse me,' Quelleen said to Nala, looking up at the massive paladin. 'Are you the one that is currently employed by Sildar?'

'I am,' Nala said, looking down at the woman. Recognition gleamed in her eyes.

'Wait. We've met before.'

'Yes, dear. I'm the one that sold you a chicken the other day. I trust that it has been to your liking?'

Toblen could swear he saw her golden scales turn a shade darker around her cheeks.

'Ah- yes. It has been very… yes. Thank you again.' She coughed. 'What is it that you wanted to discuss?'

'It's about your mission, dear. Your group is looking for the location of Wave Echo cave, right?'

'We are,' Alatar said, joining the conversation. 'Do you have information about that?'

Quelleen took a few seconds to answer, looking at Telyn. The pink-haired girl was still playing her flute in the background.

'Not about the cave itself, I'm afraid. But Sildar has been such a good help to us over these past few days, and you saved us all from those nasty bandits- I'd like to at least help point you in the right direction, if I can. As a show of gratitude.'

'We'd be happy with any lead you give us,' Nala nodded. By now, everyone was listening.

'There is a druid who goes by the name of Reidoth. He knows these lands better than anyone. They have no secrets to him. If there's anyone who knows the location to that cave, it's him.'

'Where would we find this druid?' Mialee asked, her golden head ornament gleaming in the light of the fireplace. Quelleen's face faltered.

'That's the problem. He tends to travel around a lot. The last I heard of him, he was staying somewhere in Thundertree.'

Their expressions faltered. Toblen knew why. Thundertree was currently overrun with undead – for people like Toblen, going there was a good way of getting yourself killed. That group was experienced, but even they would not be safe there. Especially the Tiefling seemed uneasy at the thought of going there. The Dragonborn nodded to Quelleen, a smile on her scaled face.

'Every bit of information helps. Thank you.'

The old woman nodded back. She started to turn around, but was stopped by the brown-haired elf- Mialee.

'Can I ask something else? Are there any elves in this town? I'm looking for someone, and they might be able to point me in the right direction.'

'Let me see… there's one elf living in the apple orchard to the north. It's called Edermath orchard. The elf you'll want to talk to is named Daran. I don't know if he'll be of any help, though.'

Mialee did not answer the woman. Almost immediately, the brown-haired elf turned away from the group. She either ignored the questioning looks they gave her or just straight up didn't see them, because Mialee marched right out of the tavern. She was quickly followed by the third elf. Toblen saw the remaining members of the group glance at each other.

'Are you going after them?'

'Nope,' Angelica replied. She'd spotted Narn drinking in the corner, and walked off to have a chat with him instead. Nala merely shrugged. The Dragonborn seemed to be done for the day. She went upstairs, leaving Alatar and their pet goblin to fend for themselves.

'I could go for some good chicken for dinner. Where's Elsa?'

'She has the day off.'

'Oh.'

Toblen eyed the cloaked wizard suspiciously. He wasn't stupid. He'd seen the looks exchanged between him and Elsa the other day. And the awkwardness after. It was time to have a chat with him about that. Elsa was a nice girl – and Toblen felt responsible for her, to an extent. It was his duty to confront her suitors. Toblen nodded to himself and approached Alatar, who by now was eyeing him, as well.

'What?'

'Don't "what" me, young man. I saw the looks. I know what happened. You- you treat her right, now.'

The wizard blinked. It seemed to take him a few seconds to process what Toblen had just said. He looked Toblen over, his eyebrow raised sarcastically.

'Excuse me?'

'You heard me, wizard!' Toblen replied brusquely. With a huff, he walked back to his bar and started cleaning mugs. Damn foreigners. Though this group wasn't so bad, really. At least they hadn't set his tavern on fire yet.

Oh, wait.

They had.

* * *

 **Mialee**

* * *

In a brisk pace, Mialee skipped through the streets of Phandalin. The brown-haired elf had a clear goal. Without looking left or right, she made her way to Edermath Orchard as fast as possible. The words of the farmer human echoed in her mind.

'I don't know if he'll be of any use to you, though.'

Mialee would be the judge of that, not her. Elves had ways of spotting tracks of others of their kind. If there were more of her clan around these parts, an elf native to these lands would have found out about it by now. Mialee was sure of it. She had a lead – and this was the best way to follow it. So she ran, through the dark streets of Phandalin and up a small hill, to Edermath Orchard.

It was bigger than expected, and surrounded by a wooden fence. Mialee could see rows and rows of apple trees behind a large, sturdy-looking home. It wasn't anything special, but it looked well cared for. Small purple flowers grew in the front yard. They smelled vaguely like lavender. Warm light poured out from behind the windows. He had to be home, then. Mialee decided to dive right in. She walked up to the doorway, inhaled, and knocked loudly. It did not take long for a voice to resound from the other side.

'Who is it?'

'Daran Edermath? I have questions. Open the door, please.'

Mialee made a point of saying that in Elven, rather than Common. She had it all sorted out in her head. If he didn't recognise her clan symbol, he could point her towards other elves living in the area. Or share rumours of wandering elves that he'd heard of. Hell, even if he didn't know anything, it would still be a comfort to meet someone who was one of her own people. It had been too long since she'd had a chat with another elf.

'Hold on- I'm on my way.'

Mialee could hear a rattling noise, followed by a soft _click_. A smile formed on her lips as the door swung open before her. Light poured out, momentarily taking Mialee's vision away. As soon as her eyes adjusted, the person inside became visible. Long, white hair and an elegant, slightly aged face greeted her. He was wearing simple clothes, but of good quality. Then Mialee's eyes wandered to his ears. Her smile faltered.

Not an elf.

'Yes? What can I help you with?'

He was looking at her with a puzzled expression. Mialee hesitated, searching for words.

'You're- you're Daran? Edermath?'

'That's me, yes. Were you expecting someone else?'

The brown-haired elf was at a loss for words. All her carefully thought-out questions vanished like snow on a hot summer's day. She shook her head, eyes still locked on Daran's ears. The silver-haired man noticed it. A look of brief annoyance flashed in his eyes, before Daran shook his head with a small smile.

'My apologies for not being a full-blood like you. Is there anything else that I can help you with, miss?'

'I- no,' Mialee stammered. 'I was looking for- but you're not- do you know of any elves living here?'

'I'm afraid not. Nobody besides me, at least. Forgive me for not living up to your expectations.'

There was definitely an undertone there. Mialee could feel her cheeks turn red with embarrassment. She instinctively took a few steps back, softly muttering an excuse. Then she turned around and hightailed it away from there as fast as possible. Mialee could still feel her cheeks glowing when she was already more than a block away.

Not even an elf. Of all the possible outcomes. And she made a fool of herself, too.

Great. Just great.

* * *

 _The next day…_

* * *

 **T** **elyn**

* * *

The pink-haired girl awoke to a ray of sunlight, shining through the open window and directly into her eyes. Telyn let out a yawn. It wasn't like her to sleep in. Then again, she had performed until rather late yesterday. She slowly rolled onto her side. The small pile of gold coins lay on her nightstand, gleaming. Telyn looked at it with a smile. She'd never made that much money with a simple flute song before. Most of it had come from her companions rather than real customers, but still. It made her feel pretty good. She liked being rewarded for her music. She liked her current group, too. Most of them, at least.

After getting dressed, Telyn made her way downstairs. She really had slept for too long. Everyone else was already down in the tavern. They had gathered around one of the tables, seemingly in the middle of a discussion. Angelica nodded to Telyn as a greeting, then continued her argument with the others.

'I'm sorry, but I just don't see the merits of going all the way to Thundertree. Reidoth isn't our only lead. We have other ones – safer ones. I for one am not willing to risk my life over some vague promise that he knows what we need. Sorry, but I'm out.'

'Me, too,' Alatar nodded. His hood was still up, partly covering his face in shadows. 'The risk is much higher than the reward. I don't feel like risking my life for such a small chance of success, either.'

'We have plenty of other leads,' Angelica agreed. 'Sildar is currently looking into the whole situation with Gundrin. If we give him a day, he might have some new information for us. His brothers should still be around here somewhere, too. If we can find them, then we don't need to bother with Thundertree in the first place.'

From the corner of her eye, Telyn could see Yorda twitch. She was very quiet. So was Mialee, now that Telyn thought about it. Just as she focused on the elf, Mialee decided to join the conversation. She reached out and placed a piece of parchment on the table. A bounty, from the looks of it.

'If we are going to wait a day anyway, I would like to ask for your help with this.'

Telyn bent forward to give the parchment a closer inspection. Her initial guess had been right. It really was a bounty. It seemed to be giving directions to the lair of a marauding band of orcs. The reward for taking them out was a 100 gold pieces – a very nice amount, considering the targets.

'You want us to go after a bounty? On a bunch of orcs?' Nala asked, one eyebrow raised. Mialee gave a single nod.

'I hate them. You know why.'

She looked at Yorda when she said that. The pale half-elf gave a single nod in response. Meanwhile, Angelica had grabbed hold of the parchment. She looked it over with a smile on her face. Her tail swished in the air behind her.

'Now this is more like it! Safe – well, safer than a town full of undead, at least – and a good amount of money as a reward! Promise me my share and I'll join you.'

'Deal,' Mialee nodded. 'I don't care for the money. Everyone gets a share.'

'No, keep it,' Nala said, shaking her head. 'They're bandits. I will help you.'

'Oh! In that case, we can divide your share between all of us!' Angelica smiled. It earned her a stern glare from the Dragonborn, and she quickly added: 'Kidding, kidding. Mostly.'

'You might want to sit this one out, Telyn,' Nala nodded at the pink-haired girl. 'Cragmaw Castle was bad enough. Plus, we'll be back here in about a day.'

The Dragonborn had a point. If their adventures didn't involve traveling to another town, then there was no reason for Telyn to come along. But the pink-haired girl could still vividly recall the moment when she was kidnapped by the Redbrands. It had been a very unpleasant experience. And it could happen again. She really, _really_ didn't want to be alone. If she went with them, she could at least hide behind Nala and Yorda. Sort of.

Yes. The best choice here was to go along for the ride.

'I'll come with you.'

'Well, not me,' Alatar suddenly said. He leaned back in his chair, shaking his head.

'What? Why?'

'What do you mean, "why"? I just told you that it's stupid to have a risk greater than the reward. 100 gold split between five people is only 20 gold pieces per person. I'm not taking on a marauding orc tribe for a measly 20 gold pieces. Get real.'

Teylin could swear she saw Yorda twitch again. She tried to catch the eye of the pale half-elf, but Yorda wasn't looking at Telyn. Her eyes stayed fixed on the conversation before her.

'Fine. I'll let you have my share, then. Is that enough for you?' Nala replied, annoyed. A grin spread on Alatar's lips.

'Almost. But not quite. I want Mialee's share, too.'

'Excuse me?' the brown-haired elf replied.

'You just said you didn't care. I do. Give it to me. Then I'll join you, elf.'

Mialee shot Alatar a very, very dirty look. She couldn't take back her own words, though.

'Fine.'

'Whoa there!' Angelica butted in. 'If that's how we're doing this, I want a piece of that share too. Don't think I'll let you keep all that to yourself, just because our companions are being generous.'

More bickering ensued. It took the group a while to come to an understanding. A good five minutes, at least. Nala finally decided the argument by promising that she'd make sure all finances were equally distributed. Alatar didn't seem particularly happy with that statement, but wisely decided to drop it.

Not long after that, the group set out to the east. It was about a day's travel to the Orc lair. They prepared as best they could, unsure of what would be in store for them…

* * *

 **During their journey to the Orc lair, the group came upon a wagon with a single merchant that was under attack from a pack of wolves. They quickly dispatched with the beasts. The merchant thanked them and offered the group a discount on all of his wares, for he was a traveling merchant of magical goods. Intrigued, the group learned of an item called a Bag of Holding. Capable of storing anything inside it regardless of size and quantity, this was a very rare and valuable item.**

 **The group bought it – but made a nasty discovery as the merchant bolted. He had deceived them. It was not a Bag of Holding, but a Bag of Folding – any items placed within the bag that were not round would be folded or broken in half. As a storing device, the bag was useless. And the merchant was nowhere to be seen. He had tricked them, then bolted before they could find out. The group continued, with lighter purses and a valuable lesson added under their belt.**

 **That evening, they found the Orc lair…**

* * *

'What do you see?'

'At least two. They seem to be standing guard.'

The group had gathered on the slope of a small hill, staying as low to the ground as possible. Down the other side, there was a large rock formation. A passage between two of them led to the orc lair. The entrance was decorated with numerous crude, wooden spikes. According to Mialee, some of them had animal heads skewered to them. The brown-haired elf had agreed to be their eyes and scout ahead – but Telyn could see her fingers shake as she lay on the grass. Her jaw was clenched. As the elf scoped out the orc lair, Telyn realized that Mialee was trying very hard to control herself. She seemed moments away from grabbing her bow and storming in.

'Remember what happened the last time we charged in without a plan!' Alatar said from the back of the group. It was a warning and an accusation at the same time, but Mialee did not respond to his jab. He did have a point. Charging in without a plan was not a good idea.

'What if we try to put them all to sleep again, like we did in the other cave? We could take them out without a fight.'

'No,' Mialee growled. 'They die today.'

Her eyes were still locked on the cave in front of her. She was calm, but it was a flimsy layer hiding a storm.

'No one's saying they stay alive at the end. We just have to think about this. Does anyone have any ideas?'

As they talked, Telyn slowly crawled up to where Mialee was. She could see the cave from there. Two burly-looking orcs stood on the sides of the entrance, keeping watch. They didn't look all too bright. They didn't look like the types to negotiate, either. Crudely made swords rested in the belt of one of them, and the other one was holding a nasty-looking mace. Telyn couldn't see the inside. Who knew how many of them there were. But the pink-haired girl really wasn't in the mood for fighting. Especially after what had happened in that castle. Yet fighting was exactly what would end up happening if she let the group talk it out among themselves. She was sure of that.

So why not try something else, instead? If it was going to end up in a fight anyway, then she could try whatever, then hide behind the Dragonborn. Probably. And there was something Telyn had always wanted to try. Now was as good a time as any. Seize the moment, and all that. Yes. She nodded to herself.

Time to try.

As the pink-haired girl rose up from the ground and started walking, Mialee threw her a shocked look.

'Hey! What-?'

She ignored her. Telyn kept walking, straight down the hill and towards the entrance to the orc lair. The two guards saw her coming right away. They raised their weapons and growled at her. One shouted something in a language Telyn didn't understand. She didn't need to – it was clearly some kind of threat. Telyn took a deep breath, conjured up a smile and addressed the brute to the left. When she spoke, her words were loaded with magical charm.

'Well hello there, handsome. My, but you look so strong and dependable. Really rugged, yet charming. I bet the girls are all over you!'

The orc in question – a burly, muscular male with a flattened nose and a large scar running down his left eye, grunted in response. But the magic was working. As Telyn kept talking, he slowly lowered his mace.

'No, really! I'd love to have someone as strong and capable as you around. You look like you could do anything.'

The orc huffed, scratching the back of his head with his hand. He was blushing, and it showed. The other orc looked at his friend like he'd gone crazy. Telyn's smile widened as she weaved her charm around him even more.

'It just so happens that I'm in distress, darling. I really, really need your help with something over there. I'm weak and fragile, and you're so fierce-looking. I bet you could solve any problem right away, couldn't you?'

The scarred orc nodded, agreeing with her. It was time for the final push.

'Wonderful. Would you come over here and help me then, please? I will make sure you're… _rewarded_.'

That did it. He was like butter in her hands. The orc dropped his mace, muttered an "owkay" in broken Common and left his comrade, who by now seemed both intrigued and slightly panicked. As his friend marched up the hill after Telyn, the other guard turned around and disappeared inside the cave. The scarred orc didn't even looked back. He followed Telyn like a love-sick puppy, waltzing right into the rest of the group. A whack on the back of the skull from Nala knocked him out cold.

'Or we do that,' Angelica said, slightly impressed. 'That works, too.'

'The other one went inside,' Yorda noted. She had moved slightly away from the group, keeping an eye on the cave entrance. 'What should we do now?'

She received no answer. Before anyone else could talk, Mialee had moved next to the orc and had drawn her swords. She swung them down, burying the blades deep in his back. Blood poured out from a torn artery. It quickly formed a puddle underneath the orc, whose body convulsed once, twice… and then stopped. Just like that, he was dead.

'Now that was uncalled for,' Nala frowned at the elf. 'He was already out cold. Killing a harmless person is just bad form. Even if they are an enemy.'

'They're never harmless,' Mialee growled back. 'They're cold-blooded murderers and they deserve every bit of the pain that they're about to experience.'

'Um, everyone? What should we do about that?'

'About what?'

Telyn looked up, past the hilltop to where Yorda stood. The pale half-elf was pointing in the direction of the orc lair. Before, it had been empty. Not anymore. Telyn looked as one, two, three, four, five orcs came running out, armed to the teeth. Heading straight for them.

'More of them! Didn't work! Nala!'

The Dragonborn barely had time to reach for her sword before another shape came crashing out of the cave. And this one wasn't an orc. Oh, no. It was much, much bigger. The ground shook underneath the creature as it came charging out, giant club swinging above its head. It was an ogre, and it was headed right for Yorda. Even though it was more than forty feet away from the tiny half-elf, the massive ogre covered that distance almost instantly. The next second, Yorda wasn't there anymore. Her form shifted, shaping into the familiar white bear form.

Just in time, too. She had barely regained her balance or the ogre pounced, swinging his club wildly and slamming it into the bear's side. Yorda was pushed to the right, her large form just barely keeping her from being thrown away. This was bad, Telyn realised. This was very bad.

And then it got even worse. As the ogre wound up for another swing, the five orcs had caught up to him. All but one surrounded Yorda. The last one spotted Telyn on the hill and made a beeline for her, instead! The pink-haired girl let out a yelp, moving back immediately.

'Nala!'

'Get back!'

The Dragonborn charged past her at the same time that two blasts of arcane energy – one purple, and one blue- coursed over her head and towards the group down the hill. The paladin roared over the sound of the charging orc. She parried his attacks, slamming her shield into his torso and sending him sprawling down the hill. Angelica and Alatar were right behind her. They fired their magic almost simultaneously. But while Alatar's attacks found purchase on the group below, Angelica kept missing. It seemed to piss her off greatly, and Telyin could see her growl. It was a slightly scary sight. The pink-haired girl quickly diverted her attention from the Tiefling, and back to the battle below.

It wasn't going well. One of the Orcs had frozen over, but there were still three orcs and an ogre swarming their bear. Just as Telyn made that observation, the ogre swung his giant club again. It slammed straight onto the bear's skull, resounding through the area with a loud _crack_. A killing blow. Or it would have been, if it were an ordinary bear. Instead, its form shifted. For a moment, Telyn could see Yorda crouched on the ground. Then her form shifted a second time and the bear returned. The ogre hadn't expected that. It roared in anger, readying its weapon again.

'We need to get rid of the big one, quick!' Alatar yelled. Telyn nodded at the wizard. But everyone else seemed occupied with the rest of the orcs – his words had fallen on deaf ears. Another Eldritch Blast soared by, missing the nearest orc by just an inch. And all Telyn had was her flute. Her flute and magic words. Could that ogre even talk? Her words might be useless.

But wait- she did have one other trump card. The pink-haired girl did not give herself time to hesitate. She ran down, as close to the battle as she needed to be. She focused on the shape of the ogre, making a transparent arcane energy swirl around her fingers. In a fluid motion, Telyn brought her hand up to her lips. She whispered into her palm, keeping her eyes locked on the ogre.

In her head, she recalled the scariest music that she had ever heard, transferring it to the mind of the brute in front of her. The effect was instant. The ogre's eyes went wide. He staggered back, grasping at his temples with his greasy paws. Telyn added another whisper, pushing the ogre over the edge. With a fear-stricken scream, he bolted. Straight back to the cave. Within seconds, the ogre had vanished back into the cave's darkness. It left the group with only the four orcs to deal with, significantly turning the tide in their favour.

'What was that?' Angelica asked next to her, as she aimed another attack at the group in front of her.

'The memory of the scariest music I've ever heard.'

'Which is?'

'My mother playing.'

The Tiefling gave her a blank stare. Next to the pair, Nala finished off her orc by driving her sword through his chest. It was short and violent. The Dragonborn didn't give herself time to breathe, running past the dying body to join the rest of the fight. Bear-Yorda wasn't looking good. The white fur was covered in cuts and gashes. She didn't seem to care, though – her jaws were buried deep in one of the orc's legs. The bandit screamed bloody murder as she jerked him around – until a well-placed arrow from Mialee ended his life. He crumpled to the ground.

Two orcs left. This was going well.

And then it wasn't. As Angelica readied another of her Eldritch Blasts, Telyn could hear a loud roar come from the inside of the cave. The Dissonant Whispers had worn off. That was bad news. The ogre had regained its senses, and from the sound of it, it was angry. Very angry. It came crashing back out of the entrance in a raw display of strength, instantly closing the distance between him and the group. It seemed to think that his last target was responsible for the creepy noises in his head – and coursed straight for Yorda, again.

The bear never had time to react. Before she could as much as look up, the ogre had swung his club and made it crack down on her skull. Again. It had the exact same effect as last time. The bear's form shifted, shaping back into Yorda. The pale half-elf was lying flat on the ground, gasping for air. She couldn't move. She couldn't run. And within seconds, she would be ground into paste by the ogre's club.

Above Telyn's head, three vague blurs shot by. The attacks were so fast that the pink-haired girl couldn't make out what they were before they had already found purchase on their target. The ogre let out a terrifying howl, dropping his club as he grasped at the arrow stuck in his eyeball. His other arm had been hit by a blast of blue arcane energy. The limb rapidly froze over, making the brute lose his sense of balance. He staggered back, roaring furiously at his target – before something landed with a sickening thud, and the sound abruptly stopped. Nala's javelin had hit its mark, flying right into the ogre's open mouth and piercing his jugular.

It was the fatal blow. The brute staggered again, took a step forward… and fell. He took one of the orcs with him, too. Landed right on top of it. His scream was cut short as the orc was crushed under the ogre's weight. Another arrow shot by, striking the last remaining orc. He fell easily, almost effortlessly.

They had won.

At the bottom of the hill, Yorda sunk down until she was lying face-first on the grass, limbs stretched out widely. Her chest was going up and down in sharp heaves. Mialee wasn't done yet, though. After shooting another arrow into the nearest orc, the brown-haired elf took off running towards the cave entrance.

'Wait, don't- there might still be orcs in there!' Nala yelled after her. But the warning fell on deaf ears. Or maybe Mialee was actually hoping that there were more orcs. Telyn couldn't tell. Angelica took off after her, disappearing into the dark cavern entrance after Mialee. A soft thud could be heard; next to Telyn, Nala had sunk down on the floor as well.

'That was close,' the Dragonborn sighed heavily. 'That was. Way. too close.'

Telyn let out a small, nervous laugh. It really had been. She saw Yorda still lying on the ground, panting, and decided to walk over. The pale half-elf was coated in blood. That seemed to be happening a lot with this girl. Telyn squatted down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

'Are you okay?'

The pale half-elf let out a chuckle. It didn't sound happy, though.

'Do you know what the downside of wild shaping is?'

Telyn shook her head, looking down on the girl with a worried frown.

'Every time it gets defeated, it dies. And every time it dies, it feels like _I_ die. The experience is… not pleasant.'

'I… can imagine that,' the pink-haired girl muttered. 'Do you need healing?'

'I'll be fine. Just… let me catch my breath for a moment.'

Telyn nodded. She looked up, gazing at the carnage around her. At least everyone on their side was still alive. They were a rather terrifying bunch, if she thought about it. It was a good thing that they were good people. Well, mostly. From the corner of her eye she saw Alatar, rummaging through the bodies of the orcs. He was muttering with a frown on his face; apparently the bandits didn't have a lot of treasure on them.

'Here. Let me help you up.'

Yorda grabbed hold of Telyn's outstretched hand. The pink-haired girl pulled her up, careful not to get any blood on her. From the cavern entrance, she could see the shapes of Mialee and Angelica coming back out. They were empty-handed, save for a bunch of coins that the Tiefling was carrying. Mialee marched over to the nearest orc right away. She drew her sword again. With a wide slash, she cut off its head. As macabre as that was, her next move was even more disturbing. She lugged the severed orc head to the nearest wooden spike and slammed it on, spearing the neck on the pointy end of the weapon. She repeated this with all of the fallen orcs. Telyn gave Nala a concerned look; the Dragonborn just shrugged, still on the ground.

By now, Angelica had made it over to the rest of the group.

'Look what I found. It's not a lot, but it's still a nice little extra on top of the reward money we'll get.'

'Anything else in the cave?' the wizard asked, looking down on the coins in Angelica's hands. To Telyn it seemed as if he was trying to be casual, but his eyes were gleaming at the sight of the gold just a little too much.

'No. Just this,' Angelica replied, holding up the coins. 'I'll divide it equally among all of us.'

She began to do exactly that, handing a small portion of the gold to each member of the group. Alatar did not seem convinced, however.

'A whole group of bandits and that is all that's in there? I don't think so,' the wizard replied.

'You're more than welcome to check out the cave, if you want.'

'I don't think I need to,' Alatar replied, glaring at Angelica with a dark, calculating look in his eyes. 'I think I know exactly what happened to the rest of that treasure. And so do you. Admit it- you took a little extra for yourself just now, Tiefling.'

' _Excuse_ _me_?' Angelica replied, anger resounding in her voice. 'I risk my life to come here and help you out, I share all of this gold with you equally and you accuse me of _stealing_? Do you really want to go there, wizard? _Really_?'

Her tail was swishing behind her furiously. That frustrated look from before re-appeared on her face, too. Telyn took a tentative step backwards. The wizard and the warlock faced off against each other for a few tense seconds, before Alatar broke eye contact.

'Fine, whatever. I'll come for you later. Right now I have more debts to collect. You- elf.'

He turned to Mialee, who by now was also stained in orc blood. She was trying (and failing) to wipe some of the blood off her face, but stopped when she heard Alatar address her.

'You owe me money. I helped you kill them. We succeeded. Now hand it over.'

'Fine, fine,' the brown-haired elf replied. She went to dig in her pockets, where she had previously put the coins from the orc treasure. That did not seem to sit well with Angelica at all. Next to her the Tiefling snapped:

'Stop that! You're not giving him your share of the treasure! I divided it equally!'

'I have a right to that money, woman!'

'You have a right to a whole lot more than money if you keep going like this!'

'Enough! Both of you, stop bickering!'

Nala's comment didn't help. The two kept snapping back and forth, only the massive size of the Dragonborn between them keeping their argument verbal. On the other side of the group, Telyn looked away awkwardly. Money was important, but this was a bit much. She turned away, looking to focus on something else. Yorda was standing next to her. Her body was still stained with red blood. The pale half-elf had picked up a coin from her share of the treasure and was studying it with a furrowed brow. The next second, her expression darkened substantially. She made a disgusted noise and threw the coin on the ground before walking away.

'See? This is what I'm talking about! You people have no sense of value whatsoever!'

The wizard broke away from the group and moved towards Telyn. He reached for the gold coin- but Telyn stopped him, quickly grabbing hold of his outstretched arm.

'I think you've taken enough.'

'Out of my way, bard,' the wizard said in a low growl. 'You do not want to cross me.'

He yanked his arm away from her, once again moving for the gold piece on the ground. Telyn did the same, determined to get to it first.

It was a tiny sound. Barely audible over the wind howling through the hills. A snapping of fingers. It took Telyn only a fraction of a second to process the sound, before her mind clicked. With cat-like reflexes, she pushed herself away from the gold piece. Just in time. As Telyn jumped backwards, the area around the gold piece suddenly erupted in white flames. The grass around it was charred to a crisp immediately, feeding the bonfire until it was about the size of the ogre's leg. It took the group by surprise. Alatar snapped with his fingers as well, trying to counter the bonfire. A ray of blue arcane energy shot forth from his hand. It made contact with the flames- but his ray of frost wasn't strong enough. It was absorbed by the raging flames, fuelling the bonfire even more. Telyn looked back in shock.

She wished she hadn't. Yorda's face was contorted into a dark, angry mask. Her whole body suddenly seemed a lot less luminescent than before. Her fingers were outstretched, ready to snap another bonfire into existence. With a rage-filled voice, she yelled:

' _LEAVE IT!'_

And stormed away, up the hill and out of everyone's sight. The outburst had abruptly ended all of the arguing. The group was stunned for a second, before Mialee, Angelica and Nala hurried off after her. Alatar stayed put. He seemed to be waiting for the bonfire to die down. Telyn shook her head at the sight, following the rest of the group at a distance.

Yorda hadn't moved far. The pink-haired girl watched as she grabbed the bag of Folding, stuffing what seemed to be loads of copper pieces into it. When she pulled them back out, they had bent and folded in half. Unusable. The pale half-elf kept throwing them to the ground, in a rage, until the Tiefling reached her. She turned around, holding a single gold coin in front of Angelica's face.

'What is this?!' the druid screamed. 'What kind of magic is in these?!'

'What do you mean?' Nala asked, confused. The pale half-elf swung the coin in front of their faces again.

'THIS! These pieces of metal that you're all falling over yourselves to get your hands on! It's not natural! What dark magic is at work here to make you all want this – this _worthless metal_ so much?!'

'It's not like that,' Angelica replied. 'It's a necessary evil.'

That only seemed to anger Yorda further. She threw the gold piece to the ground, yelling:

' _WHY?!'_

For a moment, Angelica froze. Then the moment passed. She turned around almost immediately, marching away from the group. Far away. She only stopped at the top of another hill, sitting down with her back to the group. It made the pink-haired girl frown – but the raging druid was the more immediate problem. Telyn watched as Mialee and Nala approached Yorda slowly.

'Not all of us are like that,' Mialee spoke slowly. The Dragonborn nodded.

'I don't care for coin, either. But the world unfortunately revolves around money. People need it, and so they want it.'

'Why?! What kind of twisted civilisation is this that pieces of metal are more valuable than people's lives?'

'I told you, we're not all like that. Not me. And not Mialee, either.'

The brown-haired elf shook her head.

'We're not all like Alatar.'

The pale half-elf seemed to calm down… a little bit. Not much. But she wasn't throwing up bonfires anymore, at least. The elf and the Dragonborn continued to talk to her, but in a softer tone, and Telyn couldn't hear what was being said anymore. That was all right. She'd heard enough. The pink-haired girl had never seen someone burst out in rage over money before. It was such an everyday part of her life. Of everyone's lives, really. It made her wonder where the pale half-elf had been living up until now. Even hermits knew about money. Why didn't she?

Speaking of money… Telyn looked back to the cave entrance. By now, the bonfire had died down. Alatar was on his way up the hill, walking casually. The gold coin was nowhere to be seen.

Figures.

Idiots.


	12. Chapter 3,4 - Motivations

**Chapter 3.4 – Motivations**

* * *

 _The group eventually found their way back to Phandalin, where they split up. Mialee went to Town Hall to get the reward for dealing with the orc menace, but found the place closed for the day. Alatar, Nala and Droop returned to the inn for dinner. The Dragonborn was uncharacteristically quiet for the whole evening, staring into her mug of ale. Angelica and Telyn, however, had other plans…_

'Tell me again what we're doing here.'

'Easy!' Angelica said, guiding Telyn by the shoulder. 'I heard you performing last night. I saw the tips you got. I think we can expand on that.'

The two were standing in front of the tavern. Not the usual one with Toblen – no, Angelica and Telyn were standing right outside of the Sleeping Giant inn. The one that was rumoured to be the gathering place of the Redbrand gang. Not that there was a gang to gather anymore. The group had thoroughly seen to that. Still, this was the exact place that Telyn had been kidnapped from the first time around. Being here again did not bring back good memories. At all.

'You want me to perform in here?'

'Of course! You need to spread out to reach a bigger audience, right?' Angelica said with a bright smile. For a moment, her eyes flashed in a different colour. The next second her form shifted, and Telyn was staring at a younger version of herself. Wait, not quite like herself. The disguise looked as if she could be Telyn's younger sister. The eyes were different, and her nose was a bit longer.

'Pretty good, right?' the Tiefling winked. 'Nothing suspicious about a couple of bards performing for a living. Trust me, it'll be fun.'

Telyn had some serious doubts about that. Still, she _was_ a bard. And she _did_ perform for a living. Maybe this would end up to be not so terrible, after all. So she nodded, and followed Angelica inside.

It was a sad scene to walk into. The place was rough-looking. Not just badly cared for, but literally roughed up. Chairs with legs that were broken and patched-together, dents in the wooden beams of the structure, a bar with seemingly broken shelves. A fireplace with a large crack in it. Cobwebs in the corners. Oh, and the place was deserted. Completely empty, save for a single dwarf woman behind the bar. She looked at the new arrivals with a very bored expression on her face. The barwoman didn't welcome them in, or give any kind of greeting whatsoever. Just stared at them.

'Hello!' Angelica said, taking the lead. She walked right up to the counter and leaned down. The wood creaked eerily. Angelica quickly stepped back, afraid to break the thing.

'We, uh, we're traveling musicians! I see that you've got a pretty empty place, here. What do you say to us making it a bit more lively?'

'And?'

The Tiefling was visibly taken aback by her response. Or lack of it. Telyn joined her at the counter, taking over the conversation.

'I'm pretty good with a flute. I could perform for you, draw some people in. Not completely for free, of course.'

'Feh! Won't work, anyway,' the dwarf woman snorted. Angelica seemed slightly annoyed by her attitude. She quickly masked it with another broad smile.

'What's your name, madam?'

'Christa,' the dwarf woman huffed.

'Well, Christa, how were you expecting to draw in customers otherwise?'

'Not. All of my regulars are dead.'

Oh. Right. The Redbrands. It dawned on Telyn that by clearing the mansion of bandits, they had probably also deprived this woman of her daily earnings. And with its reputation of being a bandit bar, nobody else in town was going to visit this tavern. Telyn felt strangely guilty, for a moment. Then she remembered being kidnapped by them before. Her guilt vanished.

'My… condolences for that,' Angelica replied, trying to smile remorsefully. 'Maybe it's time to try something new, then?'

'Like?'  
'Like letting someone perform for a while to draw people in,' she explained, again. Telyn felt for her. Man, this woman was dense. Not much of a talker, too. Christa the barwoman just stared at them. Angelica stared back for a few seconds. An awkward silence sat between the three of them. Then, almost a full minute later, the dwarf woman seemed to come to some sort of conclusion.

'Fine.'

The two interpreted it as some form of permission. Telyn immediately walked over to a free spot in the tavern and took out her flute. As Angelica threw open the doors to the building, the pink-haired girl decided on a tune. A happy, inviting melody would be best. She began to play. The notes bounced off the walls of the tavern. It had surprisingly good acoustics. For a hovel, at least.

Soon the song drifted out through the doors and windows and towards the rest of the town. It sounded pretty good. Hopefully good enough to draw in some customers. Telyn glanced at Christa from the corner of her eyes, to see her reaction to the performance. Her face was cold as stone, unchanged from the moment that they had come in. No change in expression whatsoever. Then her gaze drifted down. One of Christa's feet was tapping rhythmically on the tavern floor. Tap. Tap. Tap. That was her only reaction – her face was still expressionless.

Weird woman.

After a few minutes of playing, the two heard footsteps outside. With a big smile on her face, Angelica ran towards the door.

'Welcome, welcome! Head right in for the best one-woman performance you've ever see- …oh.'

It was Mialee. The elf had wandered over from the Town Hall when she'd heard the music. There was nobody following her. Slightly deflated, Angelica walked back inside. The brown-haired elf followed suit. She took one look around the room before blurting out:

'Isn't this the place where those Redbrands used to go? Why would you play in a place like this?'

'Gotta try everything!' Angelica winked. Mialee wasn't impressed.

'The place is trashed. It looks terrible.'

That earned her a very long glare from the barmaid. Mialee glanced back, apparently unaware of the awkward vibe in the air. Telyn shook her head and just kept playing. She didn't want any part of that conversation.

'Ale, please,' the brown-haired elf said to Christa. The dwarf woman nodded, slamming a dusty, cracked mug down in front of her.

'Five gold.'

'What?!'

That had come from three directions at once. Angelica, Mialee and Telyn all yelled out in shock at the outrageous price. The pink-haired girl abruptly stopped playing, ending on a very false note. Christa looked at them all with a stone cold expression on her face. A few seconds of awkward silence went by.

'Okay, ten silver.'

A sigh went through the room. Telyn resumed playing, casting the occasional glance at the bar. Christa had just finished pouring a drink for Mialee and Angelica. The two looked down on their mugs with unsure expressions on their faces. It was ale- or at least, it was supposed to be. The grey, thick liquid in those mugs did not even vaguely resemble ale, however. Mialee pushed the drink away from her in disgust.

'Forget it. Let's just leave.'

That earned her another glare from Christa. The air in the tavern was turning more chilly by the second. Angelica was still hesitant, however.

'We haven't finished playing yet,' she protested.

'Nobody is going to come in here. This business is a lost cause.'

If looks could kill, Mialee would have been a smoking pile of ash by now. With venom resounding in her voice, Christa responded:

'You're a lost cause.'

'What?' Mialee said, surprised.

'I don't like you.'

'O-kay! I think we're done here,' Angelica yelled, a mechanic smile on her face. 'Thank you for the hospitality, we wish you a very nice evening- _goodbye_!'

As she said that, she grabbed Mialee and Telyn and started pushing them out of the tavern. She quickly closed the door behind them, shutting the chilly atmosphere out. Or in. Angelica turned towards Telyn with an awkward expression on her face.

'Good flutework. Shame it didn't go according to plan.'

'Oh, please,' Mialee countered. 'They had terrible service.'

She hadn't uttered those words yet or the face of Christa appeared right behind the tavern window, inches from where they were standing. That pushed them over the edge. The three took off, determined to put as much distance between them and the Sleeping Giant inn as possible.

Eventually, Telyn and Angelica found themselves back on the road to Toblen's tavern.

'Well, that was a disaster,' Angelica sighed, turning back into her normal form. 'Not because of your playing though, mind you. You're a great performer.'

'Thank you,' Telyn smiled.

'Really, though, Mialee- you really need to work on reading people. You couldn't have been more rude to that woman if you tried!'

She looked behind her, wondering if the brown-haired elf was listening. Her gaze was met with empty air. No Mialee. Anywhere. The Tiefling cursed under her breath, putting out her arm to stop Telyn.

'Crap. Where'd she go?'

The two immediately turned around to look for her. They backtracked all the way to the Sleeping Giant, searching the muddy road for footprints. After a good ten minutes, they finally found her. Mialee had broken off from the group almost right away, walking back towards the Town Hall. She arrived there just as Angelica and Telyn found her. The Tiefling called out to the elf, anger resounding in her voice.

'Hey- _Mialee_! Tell us when you vanish, damn it! People get kidnapped around here!'

She turned around to face them. Mialee actually seemed surprised.

'Oh, right. Sorry,' she said sheepishly. 'I'm not used to telling people where I go.'

'I can see that,' Angelica huffed.

'There was nobody to say it to.'

That said a lot. Once again Telyn found herself wondering where her companions had been up until now. Was she the only one with an actual parent to answer to?

'Let's just… go back to the inn, all right?' Angelica finally said. 'It's been a long day. We've all deserved a night of rest.'

'All right.'

They once again set off towards the tavern – this time with Mialee in tow. It proved to be a short journey.

* * *

Back at the Stonehill Inn, most people had turned in for the night. Only Nala was still there, gazing absent-mindedly into a mug of ale. As soon as she saw the three of them come in, the Dragonborn excused herself and went upstairs.

'Someone's moody,' Angelica joked.

'Well, as you said, we've all had a long day.'

'True. I think I'll get a drink and hit the hay, too.'

She walked over to the bar, winked at Toblen and ordered a drink. Telyn was left alone with Mialee.

'Droop had long day too.'

They looked down. He was almost invisible when he wanted to be, that one. Or perhaps it was just harder to spot him in a place where you did not expect goblins, with everyone looking around at eye-height. Droop was standing right next to them, looking up with a curious expression. The claw from before was now tied to his waist with a strip of cloth from somewhere. Runt or no, the little guy was resourceful.

Mialee looked down at the goblin with a frown on her face.

'Did you say you can't read?'

'Yes. Droop never learn.'

'Do you want to?'

'Want to what?'

'Learn to read. It might come in handy in the future.'

The goblin took a few seconds to think that over. Then he looked up at Mialee again.

'You teach Droop?'

'I teach Droop how to read Goblin,' the brown-haired elf nodded. 'If you want to, of course.'

'Yes. You teach. Droop learn from elf lady.'

That last word seemed out of place. It wasn't like his normal speech pattern. He seemed to be using it deliberately, Telyn thought. Perhaps that was his way of showing gratitude. He was a strange creature.

'Mind if I join in?' Telyn asked the two. 'I'd like to learn a few words of Goblin as well. You never know when it'll come in handy.'

The brown-haired elf smiled.

'Of course.'

She gestured to the right, inviting the two of them over to the nearest table. It didn't take long for them to find some paper and a quill. Soon, the three of them started on the first of what would be a series of lessons in Goblin.

It proved to be a fun lesson, for all of them.

* * *

Far away, on the other side of town, a single white, glowing owl landed between the trees of Edermath Orchard. Its form flickered before shaping back into that of a pale half-elf. Yorda glanced around briefly, checking to make sure nobody was there. Then she lay herself to rest underneath the trees. With tired eyes, she looked up at the moonlit sky.

It had been a long day.

* * *

 _ **The next morning...**_

* * *

 **Nala**

The gold-scaled paladin awoke to the chirping of birds. It was a pleasant change from her normal awakenings. Usually it involved hangovers. Or monsters. Or both. She definitely preferred this. Much less stressful.

With a weary sigh, the Dragonborn dragged herself out of bed. Yesterday had not been pleasant. Nala had had trouble falling asleep, which came back to bite her today in the form of heavy limbs. Her paladin symbol, the emblem of the Order of the Gauntlet, lay gleaming on her nightstand. For a moment she gazed at it, lost in thought. Then the Dragonborn shook her head. It was time to continue the search. The rest of the group was probably already downstairs.

Nala was proven right in that aspect. Three of her companions were already there, wolfing down what seemed to be a decently made breakfast. Mialee, Alatar and Angelica were all armoured up, weapons already strapped to their bodies.

'What's the hurry?' Nala asked curiously.

'Wewe gowin'to zhe mayow,' Mialee mumbled in between bites. Nala raised a single eyebrow, which earned her a chuckle from Angelica.

'She means we're going to see the mayor,' the Tiefling explained. 'Mialee brought an orc head as proof that we completed our bounty. He owes us a hundred gold pieces – and the money that we're still supposed to receive for clearing out Cragmaw Castle, too. We aim to collect.'

'He'd better have it,' Alatar nodded ominously. 'Or else.'

Nala let her gaze travel through the rest of the tavern. It was still relatively quiet. Toblen the bartender was nowhere to be seen, but Elsa was busy cleaning tables on the other side of the room. The Dragonborn saw Telyn and Droop, comfortably perched on one of the benches in the corner. Nala walked towards them, giving the pair a single wave.

'Will you be joining the rest at Town Hall, then?' the young bard asked Nala, as soon as she was within earshot. She gestured at the three, who by now had stood up and were making their way to the front door. Nala shook her head.

'Nah. What about you?'

'No thanks. I have a few errands to take care of, anyway.'

The Dragonborn nodded, already turning around to look for their last group member when she was called back by Telyn.

'Wait.'

'What is it?'

'I just- I never had a chance to thank you before,' the pink-haired woman spoke. Nala raised a single eyebrow again.

'Thank me? For what?'

'For yesterday. You know, during the fight with the orcs. You didn't even hesitate to jump in front of me.'

'Of course not,' the Dragonborn replied. 'They would have landed a couple of nasty hits if they'd gotten to you.'

The young bard chuckled, shaking her head. When she looked up at Nala, her eyes were genuine.

'You're a good person.'

A smile appeared on Nala's face.

'You, too.'

'I'll see you all later,' Telyn nodded. The Dragonborn returned the nod, after which she once again scanned over the contents of the tavern. No glowing elf anywhere.

'Hey, guys- where's Yorda?' Nala yelled at the rest of her group, who were halfway out the door by now. Alatar was the only one who heard her. He shrugged, not slowing his pace down in the slightest.

'No idea.'

'Did you look for her?'

'Eh. She can take care of herself.'

With that, he was out the door. Nala frowned at his reasoning. It wasn't like the pale half-elf to be absent like that. Once again, the Dragonborn remembered everything that had happened yesterday. It had been a bad day for a lot of them. Yesterday's events probably had something to do with her not being here. Nala sighed, grabbing a piece of bread from the nearest table as she, too, moved towards the door.

The rest of the group had gone on ahead, already vanishing around the corner by the time Nala came outside. That was all right. She didn't have a destination, anyway. For the next thirty minutes or so Nala wandered aimlessly, keeping an eye out for a familiar white form.

She shouldn't be that hard to find.

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

Yorda had been awake for quite some time already. A couple of hours, in fact. She didn't care. The pale half-elf kept lying on her back, dirt pressing against her ribs, staring up at the morning sky. She was in a sour mood. Her mind was full of thoughts and doubts from the previous day, and so she ignored it. She kept looking up. Yorda followed the trail of a sparrow with her eyes, sighing deeply.

Then something nudged her foot.

'Excuse me. What are you doing here?'

'I'm wondering that, myself,' the pale half-elf responded, still looking up at the sky. 'When I left, I had no idea that civilization could be so… vile.'

She dug around in her pocket, pulling out one of the bronze coins that she'd folded in half the other day. With a clear look of disdain, Yorda stared at it.

'I mean, it's just a piece of metal. Why are people so obsessed with it? I don't understand.'

There was a short silence, after which the voice answered.

'That… makes two of us. Why are you here, again?'

The pale half-elf grumbled as an answer. Then she finally seemed to realize that she was talking to someone. She tore her gaze away from the sky, scrambling to get into a sitting position.

Above her towered a single man. He was an elf like her, on closer inspection. Although his ears weren't as long as Mialee's. Long, silver hair and a slightly wrinkled face greeted her. His clothes were simple, but well-cared for. She felt no malice coming from him. Even though Yorda was a trespasser, the man merely looked down on her with a curious expression.

'I didn't mean to intrude,' Yorda apologized.

'What's your name?'

'Yorda,' the pale half-elf answered cautiously, looking up at him. Even though they were of the same race, he towered over her. Then again, most people did.

'Nice to meet you, Yorda. My name is Daran Edermath.'

A greeting. Watching Nala and Angelica, she'd realized that it was important to return those. So she imitated the Tiefling, turning her hand to show her palm as she bowed in the traditional greeting.

'Nice to meet you.'

An awkward silence fell after that. Neither person said anything. In fact, he seemed to want her to leave. But Yorda wasn't in the mood to return to the inn. The events of the previous few days still mulled around in her head, making a bitter taste appear in the back of her mouth. Her companions would be there. She really wasn't in the mood to face any of them yet. So Yorda remained silent, merely looking up at the half-elf in front of her.

After a few seconds, Daran let out a sigh. He held out his hand, showing a single, straw basket. There were a few plucked apples in there.

'Would you like to work with me for a while?'

That was unexpected. Yorda nodded. A slight smile appeared on Daran's face, after which he guided her back to the tree that he had been working at. The two started picking apples. Or, Daran started picking apples. Yorda couldn't actually reach the things, and was left jumping up and down fruitlessly.

After a few minutes of that, Daran spoke up again.

'What seems to be troubling you?'

There was something about his tone of voice that reassured Yorda. He seemed… safe. Patient. She hadn't had anyone to talk to about her experiences in a while. Maybe talking would help. So she once again took out the folded coin, holding it up for Daran to see.

'This. These- things. It's absurd. People seem obsessed with it to the point of madness. They value them over the worth of people's lives. I don't understand why. It's not… natural.'

Daran sighed, dropping another apple into the basket.

'I agree- it is absurd. Civilization is greedy. I built this grove to get away from it all.'

'But why?' Yorda asked, turning to face him. 'Why is it like that?'

Her answer seemed to take him by surprise.

'You're… not from around here, are you?'

She shook her head. Daran paused for a second, considering his words carefully.

'Well, I can't speak for everyone. But more often than not, that obsession has some kind of deep underlying reason.'

Yorda cocked her head. She didn't understand. Daran scratched the back of his head, picking up on her ignorance.

'How to explain? In this world, people need money to provide for themselves. And for their families, too. Coin is used as a currency to buy food, water, houses to live in, various services – it's used for everything. We are taught that money is important. We're taught that we need it to survive. Some of us are taught that we need it to become happy.'

'You don't need metal to find food and water, or happiness. You can create it yourself.'

'Maybe _you_ can. But that's not true for everyone else. And that is where the problem lies.'

He set his basket down, grabbing two apples from the ground. One was in good condition, and seemed to be ripe for eating. The other one had a hole in it.

'Imagine these being people. Do you see the left one? That's you. Or, let's say someone like you. This one grew up like you did, not needing money for anything. As a result, they do not give any value to money.'

He dropped the first one in the basket, then held up the one with the hole in it.

'This one – this person – might have lacked something when they were growing up. They might have had a tough childhood, or have been really poor. They might have struggled to find food to survive. They might have been taught that the only way to become happy was through obtaining wealth. It could have been anything. That leaves them with a void inside. Like a hole. And they believe that the only way to fill that hole, is with coin.'

'And that works?' the pale half-elf responded. Daran shook his head sadly.

"It almost never does. But most people don't realize that. It's rather tragic, really. Some people spend their entire lives gathering money, never understanding that wealth isn't what they really want.'

That made sense. A little bit, at least. Yorda frowned, processing the information.

'How do you find out what they're missing?'

The long-haired half-elf sighed, dropping another apple in his basket.

"I can't help you with that, unfortunately. It all depends on the person… and most people don't like to reveal their own weaknesses. You'll have to find those out for yourself."

Yorda's thoughts trailed off to Alatar and Angelica, and the way that they kept bickering over gold. Maybe Daran was right. Maybe it wasn't a sign of malice, but of misfortune. Perhaps that was why they obsessed over coin so much. Because they were lacking something, but didn't realize what it was. Especially the Tiefling seemed to try very hard to hide herself behind wealth and riches. It was a sad thing to see them needing pieces of metal so badly. What had happened in their past that had made them become like this?

"Yorda!"

That was Nala's voice. It sounded close- right outside of the orchard, actually. Yorda's expression fell. Daran picked up on it instantly, raising a single eyebrow.

"Someone you know?"

"I have to go," the pale half-elf said. She had finally managed to pluck an apple. Yorda threw it into Daran's basket.

"I'm sorry for trespassing on your territory. Thank you for listening."

"You're, uh, welcome. I don't know where you came from, but don't let this world get you down, okay? It's really not that bad. Trust me."

She smiled at him, giving a single nod.

"Okay."

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

The Dragonborn had been wandering around Phandalin for a while now. It wasn't until she'd reached the road to the chicken farm that Nala realized that Yorda might not be close to the tavern at all. She followed the path, passing by the farmhouse and traveling up a small hill. At the top of that hill was what looked like an orchard. It was at the very edge of the village, close to the beginning of the forest.

'Yorda!'

Every once in a while, she'd call out. Until finally-

'Yes?'

When she turned around, the pale half-elf was standing right behind her. She didn't actually see her at first- the Dragonborn had to tilt her head and look down, like you would at a child. She frowned at her, a questioning expression on her face.

'Where have you been?'

'Picking apples.'

Nala opened her mouth to answer, then caught herself. That was not the answer she'd expected. It threw her off a little. She had a cheer-up speech prepared and everything. Apparently that was no longer needed. Yorda was back to her usual self, determined to do… something. That reminded Nala.

'Say… correct me if I'm wrong. But you actually seem to _want_ to go to Thundertree. Why is that?'

The pale half-elf looked at her cautiously. A strange look appeared in her eyes and for a split second, Nala could have sworn that the pale half-elf was looking right through her. It was a weird feeling. The next second that look vanished, and Yorda's normal expression returned.

'I… swore an oath. To rid the land of undead. They're a plague. Not natural. And that many of them… Thundertree is not something I can ignore.'

That came as a surprise. It was not the answer that Nala had anticipated. To the contrary. In that moment, the Dragonborn felt a strange sort of kinship with the tiny half-elf in front of her. She was reminded of her own oath, her own vows as a Paladin. They really were quite similar. Nala nodded to herself, deciding right then and there to help Yorda out.

'I'll come with you to Thundertree. We might be forced to go there anyway, if we can't find Gundrin's brothers- but even so, I'll help you do the right thing.'

The taxing expression vanished as a smile broke through on Yorda's face.

'Thank you.'

'Don't thank me. That's what we do,' Nala answered. She turned around to return to the tavern, but the pale half-elf stopped her.

'Wait. If you're going to aid me, then there is something you need to know.'

The gold-skinned Dragonborn turned back around.

'What is it?'

'The druid,' Yorda answered. 'And the number of undead in that town. Those things don't rise up on their own. Someone has to create them. Kill a person, then corrupt the natural flow of energy to make undead monsters. That requires a lot of power.'

Nala nodded, not sure where she was going with this. Yorda seemed uncharacteristically serious.

'I'm worried about the druid as well. Nala, I know my own kind. A druid would never voluntarily stay in a place like that. To do so regardless can only be for three reasons. Either the druid is already dead, they are unable to leave the area… or they have something to do with what's going on.'

'You're saying Reidoth might be involved?' Nala responded, alarmed.

'I don't know. There might be some other reason why he can't leave. And that brings me back to my first point. That large a number of undead is a very bad sign. Either they're being created by a large number of people, or…'

'Or?'

The pale half-elf looked her straight in the eyes.

'Or Thundertree is home to something very, very dangerous.'


	13. Chapter 4,1 - The last lead

**Chapter 4 – Thundertree**

 _Bloody fudging hell. We had NO idea what we were getting ourselves into._

 _Also, one of the characters (Telyn the bard) is from a player who joined later, but often is unable to play. This session was one of those times. Her departure is a little awkward and sudden in the story, but I was not able to give more details at that point. My apologies for that!_

 _Feedback is appreciated! Are the differences between different POV's clear enough, or does it get confusing at some point?_

* * *

 **4.1 – The Last Lead**

* * *

 **Echo**

* * *

Not long after leaving the tavern, Mialee, Alatar and Echo had reached Phandalin's Town Hall. They moved with a purpose. That purpose was money. The three of them did not even bother to hide it, approaching the building with the bounty letter crumpled up in Mialee's hand. The brown-haired elf walked right up to the front door, raised her fist and knocked loudly. She had done that the night before – but they had been closed, and the Mayor had become very cranky from the disturbance. He'd even slammed the door in her face, Mialee had told them. She seemed very annoyed by his rudeness. Echo, in the meantime, was wondering just who the more rude one of the two was.

'Just one moment!'

They could hear voices coming from inside, and footsteps approaching. A key was scraped in the lock, and with a crack, the door opened.

'Yes, yes! We've barely opened as it is! Honestly, if you could just wait a few more-'

His eyes fell on Mialee.

'Oh. You.'

'Yes. Me,' the brown-haired elf answered, shoving the crumpled paper in his face. 'I've come to collect my bounty.'

' _We_ have taken care of all of the orcs in the contract,' Echo said, heavily emphasizing the word "we". 'May we come in? I believe you owe us one hundred gold pieces.'

Her approach might have worked, if Mialee hadn't tried to forcibly make her way inside the building. The Mayor's face turned a shade darker than normal. He huffed angrily, adjusting his fancy clothes.

'Very well, _mercenaries_. I will send someone to verify your claim.'

'And the gold?' Alatar, said mingling in the conversation. The Mayor shook his head with another huff. He walked to the counter of the reception hall, waving the three of them off.

'Of course, you will receive your bounty. _After_ your claim has been verified, that is.'

'Excuse me?' the wizard replied in a threatening tone. Bad idea, wizard. Echo quickly stepped in front of him.

'What he means to say is- I beg your pardon? We've risked our lives to rid you of those filthy bandits. Just like we did with the bandits residing in the Redbrand Manor. We have already proven ourselves to you. Are you saying that our testimonies are not proof enough?'

Mialee glared at the Mayor the whole time that Echo said that. The Mayor in turn seemed to be busier glaring back than actually listening to her words. The whole thing was frustrating. In the end he huffed again, shrugging while holding his hands in the air.

'At that time, we could verify your claim immediately! Who's to say you kept your end of the deal this time? No. I need more definitive prove than your words alone.'

'You want proof?' Mialee yelled in response. 'Here, human!'

Before Echo could stop her, the brown-haired elf had removed the severed orc head from the back of her belt and slammed it down on the counter. Right in front of him. A few blood spatters actually landed on the man. He let out a high-pitched yelp, backing away from the head as far as possible.

'G-get that filthy thing out of here! This is the Town Hall, for crying out loud!'

'Give me our reward for killing him,' Mialee replied in a growl. You had to give her points for effort. The intimidation was crude and simple, but sometimes crude and simple was all you needed. It definitely seemed to work in making him even more uncomfortable.

'I trust that this will be sufficient in terms of evidence?' Echo asked sweetly, pointing at the orc head with a calculating smile on her face. It wasn't quite so easy a victory, however.

'No! No, no, no! You lot could have killed that orc anywhere. There's no proof that this is even one from their band. No, I will send a messenger to go scout out the location. You will all get your _bounty_ after he comes back and verifies your story!'

'How long does that take?' Alatar asked, displeased.

'It takes about a day to get there, so in two days' time.'

'Two days?!'

'Indeed. If your claim is true, you can come back then to claim your bounty. Now would you _please_ take that filthy thing off the counter? It's leaving a stain.'

It was true. After a day of traveling, the orc head had started to smell very unpleasant. Liquid was oozing out the neck, slowly spreading across the marble counter. Mialee stared the Mayor down, trying to make him change his mind. When it became clear that such a thing wouldn't happen, she huffed angrily at him in return.

'No.'

And she walked away, leaving the head there. Echo couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the Mayor's expression. To make it even worse, as she and Alatar followed Mialee out, she could see the wizard snap his fingers. Immediately, the stench coming forth from the severed orc head became ten times worse. The Mayor doubled over, gagging. Echo could still hear retching sounds when they were already outside.

'Nice,' she chuckled at Alatar. He ignored them, but for a second Echo could see a slight smirk on his face.

'Come on. We need to head back.'

* * *

 _Not long after leaving the tavern, the group found out that Telyn had left. Her exit was met with mixed responses. Ultimately, though, the decision to stay or leave was up to the bard. The group accepted the turn of events, after which their search for Gundrin's brothers began._

 _First up was the Rockseeker house, and their first lead to finding the bothers. No luck. The Rockseeker house was empty, but untouched. This led the group to believe that the two brothers must have disappeared during work hours, or on their trip to or from the mines.  
They went to the Phandalin Mining exchange, where they met the woman in charge: a human named Halia Thornton. She was snappy, impatient and not at all accommodating to the group. Nala and Yorda scouted around the outside of the mine in search of Nundro and Tharden, but did not find a lead. They agreed that Halia was acting fishy, and as the others left to notify Sildar of the brothers' disappearance, Yorda stayed behind in mouse-form to survey the area of the mines._

 _The group arrived to a horrible, horrible smell emanating from inside the Town Hall. Apparently Alatar's Prestidigitation made it impossible for the smell to vanish for at least another hour. Sildar took their news with growing discomfort, for various reasons. He promised to keep looking for clues regarding their whereabouts._

 _The group had already made their own conclusion, though. They had been too late. Whoever the Black Spider might be, he'd gotten to Tharden and Nundro first. By now, they would probably either be dead, or forced to enter Wave Echo cave._

 _If the Black Spider got to the end of the cave before they did, the entire goose chase would have been for nothing._

 _And that meant that time was running out._

* * *

 **Echo**

* * *

'So. Let's recap what we know so far.'

The group had gathered in their usual spot, at one of the corner tables in the tavern. Everyone, even Droop, was sitting down with serious looks on their faces. The only one standing up was Nala. She towered over the group, recalling information out loud as she counted facts on her scaly fingers.

'We have no idea where Wave Echo Cave is. The map got shattered by that Drow. Gundrin, the only person who could tell us where to find it, is dead. His brothers are missing, and we have no idea when they were taken. The only other person who might know is somewhere in the wilderness near Thundertree. We have no other leads, and no way to find Wave Echo Cave by ourselves. Am I leaving anything out?'

Mialee nodded once.

'We never found Glasstaff, and the Drow in Cragmaw Castle got away,' she added to the summary. 'The Black Spider is still a mystery, as well. That means we have at least three more enemies lying in wait along the way.'

That made for an even better overall picture. Echo did not like those odds. She did not like them at all.

'I'm sorry to say this,' the Dragonborn continued, 'but I think we don't have any other choice at this point. We need to go to Thundertree.'

'Here we go,' Echo responded. A wry smile was on her lips.

'Reidoth will agree to tell us what he knows if we tell him Quelleen sent us. They are friends; he will probably trust us if we drop her name.'

'Are there really no other leads that we can follow?' the Tiefling asked as she leaned back in her chair. 'I'm sorry, but Thundertree has way, _way_ too many undead roaming around for me to feel comfortable with. I don't have a death wish. Maybe you lot do, but I sure do not.'

'Neither do we, but I honestly don't see any other choices here. We have to get to Wave Echo Cave. The only living person left that knows how to get there, is in Thundertree. We are out of options.'

'Let's go, then,' Alatar answered. His hood was shrouding part of his face, but there was something… off about him today. He sounded almost too casual. They were talking about a real risk to their lives here, and he was treating it lightly. It made Echo uncomfortable, and his nonchalant tone did nothing to alleviate that feeling of unease. No. No, she was not okay with this.

Echo remembered the last time she'd run into undead. The thing had clawed at her, scratching the side of her arm. That was all. Just a scratch. But it had instantly paralyzed the Tiefling, making her fall down to the ground without a chance to resist. She'd been completely at the mercy of the people around her. Echo did not like being at the mercy of someone else.

'I'm sorry, but no. I am not agreeing to going on a suicide run to that place. Listen to yourselves. You want to go to some ruins to find some druid, that may or may not even be alive, to maybe gather some information about a faraway cave. Possibly. At the risk of _everyone_ here dying and turning into undead themselves. No. I'm sorry, but no.'

'What do you propose instead, then?' Nala answered, looking her straight in the eyes.

That, too, made Echo feel uneasy. The paladin had proven herself to be a valuable ally. But she was still a paladin. And Echo wasn't exactly… innocent. She feared that, if Nala looked her in the eyes deep enough, she'd see glimpses of who Echo really was.

But she could be persuaded by the right words. So Echo looked away for a second, before answering her question with a charismatic smile on her horned face.

'You want other options? I'll give you other options. I say we leave. Go back to Neverwinter. We don't need to find that cave. We don't need to do any of this. In the worst case, some crooks get their hands on some more magic weapons to add to their arsenal. That is not, _not_ worth risking our lives over. We can just tell Sildar that we've reached our limit. He has a whole guild at his back! Let them deal with this mess. It's their fault that this blew up to such proportions in the first place! No. I say we go back to Neverwinter and leave this whole problem behind us. We've done enough.'

'I'll pay you for it,' the Dragonborn replied in a cold voice. 'It's not like we haven't done that before.'

'It's not a matter of gold, Nala,' Echo said, shaking her head.

The Tiefling was telling the truth. It really wasn't a problem of money. Not this time. Not with that kind of risk. That one scratch had been enough to instill a big fear in Echo's heart. There was no reward that they could give her that justified possibly turning into a rotting, moaning zombie.

No. No way. Echo was out.

As she shifted even further back in her seat, something pulled on the left of her shirt. Echo looked down to see Yorda. The pale half-elf had turned towards her, grabbing onto her sleeve with white, glowing fingers. She, too, was looking right at her. But for some reason, Yorda's gaze didn't bother the Tiefling as much as Nala's did. Her large grey eyes were focused on the Tiefling, a frown playing on her face.

'Will you help me?'

Slowly, Echo sat back up in her chair. She hadn't missed that little distinction there. Me. Not us- me. Singular. It dawned on Echo that Yorda had been very quiet whenever talk of Thundertree came up. There was definitely a story there. But that alone changed nothing. She looked down on the pale half-elf, a blank expression on her face.

'Why?'

Yorda broke eye contact with her, looking at the ground. She seemed to be struggling to find the right words.

'I know it's not… safe there. I cannot force any of you to go, and I don't want you to risk your lives over this. But… I need to go there. To Thundertree. And… I don't want to do it without you.'

It wasn't as much an argument as it was a supplication. It wasn't refined, and it wasn't remotely subtle. But it was earnest. Echo could see it in her eyes, which had once again focused squarely on the Tiefling. They were pleading, without a single trace of prejudice, or fear, or greed, or any of the hundreds of other emotions that drove people to employ Echo's – _Angelica's_ – services. They cared only for her skills, her ability to deal with _problems_. Not Yorda. In that moment, Echo looked down on her and realized that Yorda wanted _her_ there. Not her skills. Not her magic.

Her. Echo.

Shit.

'Look, we need all the people we can get,' Alatar mingled in the conversation. 'With you we'll have a number that actually stands a fighting chance. Possibly. Who knows.'

'Name your price,' the Dragonborn said again, reaching for her pouch. Mialee opened her mouth to weigh in too, but at that point the Tiefling had had enough. She abruptly sat back up straight in her chair, making the front legs hit the ground with a loud _thunk_.

'Ah, fuck it. FINE.'

She waved to Toblen, who was once again behind the counter.

'Toblen! Hand me one of your best. Slime in the coconut. Now.'

'It's nine in the morning,' the innkeeper protested.

'Do I look like I care? Hand it over.'

He gave her a very stern look, but then caved. Toblen grabbed a bottle from behind the counter and began pouring a familiar green-purplish liquid in a glass. He brought it over with a frown on his face. Echo ignored him, snatching the drink from his fingers. She downed it in one shot.

'Another!'

As the rest of the group looked on in confusion, Toblen brought her another drink. This time, she poured the liquid into a large vial that she'd dug out of her backpack. With no explanation whatsoever, Echo pressed a cork on the vial and stood up.

'Listen up, you lot. But before we leave I need to do something. So don't fucking move.'

And she was out of the tavern. The Tiefling moved just slow enough to hear a brief "Wha?!" behind her, but too fast for Nala to finish her sentence. She didn't stop to explain herself. Echo stormed right out of there, stepping into the sunlight outside. She had a clear destination.

As she made her way across the village square, clutching the vial of slime in the coconut, a voice suddenly rang out in her head.

' _They're going to get you killed, you know.'_

'I know. Shut up.'

She went on to walk even faster. Within minutes, Echo made her way straight to Barthund's provisions, the village's general store. It was right about opening time. She could see Meek's back disappearing back inside, just after he'd apparently opened the doors to customers. Perfect timing. Echo barged right in, kicking the frame to announce her presence.

'Morning, Meek!'

'Eeek! I-I mean, good morning, miss Angelica!' Meek chirped, trying very hard and failing very badly to cover up his surprise. Echo wasted no time with pleasantries this time around, however.

'Do you have a delivery service?'

'We, uh, we do, miss. M'am.'

'Perfect. I'd like to have something delivered. Do you have a quill, a piece of paper and some ink I could use? I need to write something to go with it.'

'Of course, m'am. Right away.'

He disappeared in back. Echo could hear Meek rummaging around, after which the boy came back with the items that she'd asked for. He placed them on the counter for her.

'It's not very high-grade… I hope this will do.'

'It's perfect. Here.'

She tossed him a few copper pieces for it, after which the Tiefling began to write. She was done quickly. There wasn't much that needed to be written there. Echo rolled up the paper, tying it to the vial of Slime in the Coconut. She handed both of them to Meek, who had been watching the ritual with a curious look on his face.

'Send this to Baldur's Gate. The exact address is written on the outside of the paper. You're looking for Havelock. Got that?'

'Y-yes, m'am.'

He wrapped the vial and the letter into a package.

'It will take some time to send this to Baldur's Gate, m'am. A week at the least.'

'That's fine, Meek. I'm counting on you.'

She gave him a wink. The young man once again turned beet-red, almost dropping the package on the floor. It made Echo chuckle. Then her mood returned to seriousness. The Tiefling turned around and walked out of the general store, headed back towards the tavern.

Her group had just started to come outside by the time she arrives. A little annoyed, Echo called out:

'Hey! I told you all to fucking stay put!'

'You've been gone for half an hour,' Mialee replied, her face expressionless.

'Yeah, Angelica. Next time you take off like that, at least tell the rest of us where you're going, will you?'

Ah, yes. That little detail. Fine. If she was going to do this, then she might as well lay all her cards on the table.

'All right, you lot. Listen up. My name isn't Angelica. It's Echo. Echo Dodecahedron.'

A short silence fell. The rest of the group looked at her with confused expressions on their faces as they let her words sink in.

'…What?'

'Did I stutter? I said my name is Echo. Seeing how we're all about to commit suicide together, I figured you ought to know who you're about to die with.'

'You're not going to die,' Nala interjected, after getting over the surprise of her reveal. Echo raised a single eyebrow and smirked.

'Of course. We're all going to walk away from this right as rain, with our pockets lined with money and rainbows in the background as we ride off into the fucking sunset.'

The Dragonborn ignored that, taking a step towards her. It made the Tiefling slightly nervous. But her next words came as a surprise.

'You're not going to die… Echo. You have my word. I'll protect you.'

She looked up at the Dragonborn, once again taking in her massive size. That would help. A lot. Echo knew enough about paladins to know that they didn't give their word lightly, and always intended to honor their promises. She'd seen the Dragonborn in battle. If nothing else, Nala made for one hell of a shield.

'I… appreciate that.'

Maybe they had a chance to live through this, after all.

* * *

 _That evening…_

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

It took the group almost a full day to make it to Thundertree. They tracked up north, leaving the road after a couple of hours to travel westward, across rolling hills. The journey was relatively peaceful.

At the first signs of dusk, the group reached their destination. Thundertree – or what was left of it.

'Is that it?' Mialee asked, abruptly stopping at her position at the head of the group. She was gazing into the distance. The Dragonborn had to squint her eyes to see what she was referring to. There, in the far distance, the hills looked just a little more jagged. A forest grew around what looked to be a weird rock formation. No, wait, not a rock formation. Those were buildings. Probably. Very old, worn-down looking buildings. If Mialee hadn't pointed them out, Nala would have completely overlooked them.

'There's nothing else out here,' Echo responded, squinting against the setting sun as well. 'That has to be it.'

'It doesn't look like much.'

'It's a ruin, after all. It's not supposed to look like anything.'

Nala couldn't see anything moving between the buildings. Then again, they were still very far away. She couldn't make any assumptions. There could be anything in there. One thing they were already certain of – somewhere in those ruins, there were at least a few dozen undead roaming about. That, paired with the setting sun and the promise of complete darkness in a few hours, made Nala uncomfortable.

'I don't think it's a good idea to go any further today. We should wait until morning, when nothing can sneak up on us in the dark.'

'We could backtrack to the river and camp out there,' Mialee suggested.

'I think that's a good idea,' Nala nodded to her. She then turned to Yorda, who had been staring at the rubble in the distance.

'Could you go scout out the town? Just to get a general lay of the land. Don't go in too far, and don't take any risks.'

The pale half-elf nodded. As the rest of the group turned around to head back, Yorda's form shifted into that of a glowing white owl. She took off, silently coasting towards the ruins of Thundertree. Nala followed her path with a slight frown on her face.

She had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

At the first signs of dusk, a single white owl coasted into the ruins of Thundertree. Yorda had flown around the ruined city, just to make sure that she had the setting sun in her back. It would make her more difficult to detect for anyone looking up. Not that she expected the undead to actually look up at the sky- but you never knew. It was eerily silent. Not a single birdsong or cicada could be heard. Almost as if the place was devoid of wildlife.

Weird.

As she glided over the ruined buildings, Yorda expected to see the place overrun with skeletons and walking corpses. Perhaps there would even be wraiths. But after a few seconds, Yorda realized that it was the exact opposite of what she'd imagined. There was nothing. The place was deserted. No skeletons moving around, no flesh-eating ghouls prowling in the streets. Thundertree was empty. It contrasted with the stories that she'd heard so much that it made Yorda uneasy.

Why was it empty?

She needed a vantage point. At the edge of town, Yorda spotted a worn-down church tower. Pieces of stone had fallen away from the main structure, but the rest of the thing was in decent shape. It hadn't collapsed on itself, at least. It would make for a good vantage point. Yorda flew over, gliding to the very top of the tower. On the ground beneath her, she could see something near the front door of the building. They were… spiders? But not your average size arachnids. No, these were huge. Large, hairy black legs made the giant spiders almost of the same height as Yorda. They were also very dead. Their hairy legs were curled up above them. They were lying in a fetal position, their bodies puckered and blistered. If her eyes didn't deceive her, they looked like they got mauled by something big.

Weird.

Yorda kept going, reaching the top of the tower. It had an open ceiling. No, wait. It wasn't open before. Large gashes trailed across the stones and Yorda could see a few wooden beams underneath, snapped like twigs. The ceiling seemed to have been torn off. That was weird. Yorda couldn't think of any undead with the power to blow out a rooftop. Something else had done that. Recently. Her curiosity got the better of her, and Yorda leaned over the edge to take a look inside.

And froze.

Down there, almost sixty feet below, she could see scales. A massive green tail was draped across the stone floor, trailing up to an enormous, scaled body. Gigantic paws held on to what looked like a wooden chest. Its claws had dug deep gashes into the floor underneath. Its green scales gleamed against the little bit of light that fell into the tower.  
It didn't see her. The creature was asleep. Yorda could hear its slow, guttural breathing reverberate off the tower walls.

Slowly, painfully slowly, Yorda moved back from the tower's opening. She'd never seen one before, but the pale half-elf instantly knew what it was. This was beyond her. This was far, far beyond her abilities – and that of the rest of her group, for that matter. They wouldn't stand a chance. Not against something like-

Her paw hit a pebble. It skid across the stone, piercing the eerie silence with the scraping of rock against rock. Yorda instantly froze again, her heart racing in her chest.

From below, the breathing suddenly stopped.

And she bolted. The glowing owl pushed off from the roof, spreading her wings and flying into the light of the setting sun as fast as she could. An eerie, deafening silence followed her flight. Not a single birdsong or cicada could be heard. The place was devoid of all wildlife.

And Yorda now understood why.


	14. Chapter 4,2 - A City of Death

**Chapter 4.2 – A city of Death**

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

'What's she doing?'

Echo was pointing at Mialee, who had sat down on the ground as soon as the group had reached a suitable location to camp. The brown-haired elf sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, and hadn't moved for a couple of minutes now. Nala shrugged at the Tiefling.

'I think she's scouting out the area.'

'By meditating?'

'Why not? You were meditating before, too,' Nala replied.

'That's different. I needed to do that for magical purposes.'

Nala shrugged. She didn't know the details of Mialee's ranger abilities, only that she could "sense things". The Dragonborn would doubt it more if not for the fact that she had the exact same ability, but for other targets. So she just shrugged, sat down as well and waited.

Suddenly, Mialee's face turned pale. Her eyes opened and she focused on Nala, a startled expression on her face.

'What's wrong?' Nala asked, picking up on her unease immediately. 'What did you find?'

'I-' Mialee stuttered. 'I c-can- I can sense a-'

'Look!'

Nala turned around at the sound of Echo's voice. The Tiefling was pointing at the sky, shielding her eyes against the setting sun. A single, faintly glowing white owl swooped down to their makeshift camp. The bird coursed straight for them, landing on the ground with a soft _thud_ as her body shifted back into that of a half-elf. Nala took one look at her expression and instantly knew that something was wrong. Yorda's eyes were wild, darting around the campsite like an animal that smelled a predator.

'What happened? What did you see?'

'Dragon,' Yorda gasped.

It was a simple word. But the effect it had on the group was massive. In that moment, Echo's face turned just as pale as that of Mialee. Alatar, partially done with eating an apple, froze with the fruit halfway his open mouth. Yorda just looked up at Nala. Her eyes were wide. The Dragonborn balled her fists, clenching her teeth.

'Are you sure?'

'Very.'

'I could feel it too,' Mialee nodded weakly. 'It's close. Very close.'

'Where did you see it?'

Yorda pointed to the ruins in the distance.

'There. In the tower. It was asleep… I think. It didn't follow me.'

This was bad. The group was not equipped to deal with a dragon. Especially not in a place like this. Nala had a very bad feeling about this. It was just too much of a coincidence.

'What colour was it?' she asked the pale half-elf.

'What?'

'Its scales. Did you see what colour they were?'

'It was dark in there, but… they looked green. Lime green.'

The Dragonborn cursed under her breath. Of course it was a chromatic dragon. Another damn chromatic dragon. At least that answered the question of how all those undead kept roaming around the city. The dragon probably had something to do with that. Nala frowned, trying hard to recall her knowledge of chromatics. Green scales… that meant poison and decay. If it was small enough to fit in that tower, than the monster couldn't be that old yet. But even a young green dragon was a deadly foe for people like them. If they were to meet it in battle… they would probably lose.

Badly.

'We're not fighting that thing,' Echo spoke. 'That's not what we came here for.'

'You're right. We're here to find Reidoth and get out. Fighting a freaking dragon is not part of the job description.'

Alatar took another bite of his apple, throwing the remains on the ground behind him.

'Either way we're stuck here for the night. I say we rest, take turns keeping watch and think of a plan in the morning. We can't do anything in the dark.'

It was one of the rare situations where Nala agreed with the hooded wizard. Give or take another hour or so, and she wouldn't be able to see. Nightfall was definitely not an ally of theirs in this. And they couldn't find a place to stay in Thundertree, because of the undead roaming around. And the dragon. For now, here was as safe as they were going to get. Nala huffed, nodding to the people around her.

'I'll take first watch.'

That morning, the group was awakened by the sound of wings beating.

Nala realized it first. The Dragonborn went from groggy and half-asleep to full alert in about a millisecond, then moved straight to panic. She instantly knew what the source of the sound was.

'Everyone! Hide! _Now_!'

They scattered as quickly as they could, Nala dragging a still trancing Mialee to the nearest bush to hide in. The sound of beating wings grew louder. Nala's breath got stuck in her throat as she saw a large shape in the sky, coursing straight towards them. Lime green scales shone in the morning sky, gleaming under a pair of large, powerful wings. The dragon didn't seem to notice them. It flew straight past, coursing for the river. With a sharp turn of its wings, the creature landed. It scooped up a mouthful of water. The dragon then pushed off from the ground again and flew up high, heading southward. Its massive form quickly grew smaller and smaller, until it finally vanished from sight.

Nala slowly exhaled. They'd just dodged a bullet.

'Hello. Can you unhand me now?'

She was still holding Mialee by her arms. Nala quickly let go, dropping the elf on the ground.

'Sorry.'

'That was way too close,' Echo sighed from underneath her bush. 'I was sure he was going to be able to smell us or something.'

'No, this is good,' Alatar answered.

'Good? We almost got into a dragon fight! What about that is good?'

The wizard stepped out from behind the tree he'd been using for cover. There were branches and leaves stuck on his robes. He casually brushed them off, while speaking to the group:

'Think about it. He left. Probably to hunt or something. That means that this is the perfect time to go looking for that druid.'

'He's right,' Mialee nodded. 'If he's gone, we won't have to worry about him noticing us. We should move in now.'

They made a good point. If it really had left to go hunting, the dragon would be away for at least a couple of hours. That was enough time to go in, look around, find Reidoth and take him back out. With a bit of luck, they wouldn't have to deal with the dragon at all… not that it seemed like a better option to Nala. She knew what green dragons were capable of. This place was already in terrible shape, but allowing a monster like that to do as it pleased would make things even worse. She couldn't just ignore it. Her Oath forbade her to. She had to do something about it. Nala nodded to herself. When they'd found Reidoth and returned to Phandalin, she would ask Sildar for help to fight the beast.

'Well, what are we waiting for, then?' Alatar asked, pointing towards the ruined city. 'Let's move.'

Cautiously, the group moved in the direction of the remains of Thundertree. They tried to remain hidden, moving between groups of bushes in case the dragon decided to circle back. It didn't, and before too long the group had made it to the entrance of the town. There was a faint hint of a trail leading into town, but it was overgrown and barely visible. The buildings had degenerated into nothing more than rubble with a roof. They were choked by vines and brush, almost as if nature itself was trying its best to destroy any signs of past civilization. The "trail" led on north, to buildings that were a little more intact. A steep hill rose in the middle of the village, on which the stone tower stood.

The whole place was eerily silent.

'Look,' Mialee said, pointing ahead of her. A wooden sign seemed to be nailed to one of the posts nearby. It looked to be recently placed, and contrasted with the rotten, worn-down post quite a bit. Nala walked closer, until she was able to read the sign.

" _DANGER! Plant monsters and zombies! Turn back now!"_

'Thanks for the warning,' Echo said in a sarcastic tone. 'But you might want to mention the fucking dragon, too.'

'This was recently placed,' Nala observed out loud. 'It might have been Reidoth.'

'Do you think he's nearby?'

Nala shrugged, looking at Mialee. The brown-haired elf did a slow survey of the town. There wasn't a soul in sight. Other than them, the area was filled with a deadly silence.

'If he's here, he'll be in one of the houses. Maybe. We should check.'

'All right. Be careful, everyone. Stay on your guard.'

Slowly, the group moved past the warning sign and into town. Past the rubble of what used to be buildings. The brush in between buildings was so thick that you could barely see the other side. Occasionally, Nala could have sworn she saw something move in there. It made her feel uneasy.

Finally, the group arrived at the first house that actually still resembled a house. A weathered signboard by the door of the building showed a very faded image of a flagon of ale. A former tavern, Nala thought. The structure was sagging and worn-down, but more intact than the rest of the buildings so far. The door looked useable, and a large, intact window was positioned to its right. The glass was so stained that it was almost impossible to see inside. Nala squinted, trying to look past the grimy stains.

'He could be in there.'

'I don't know. It doesn't look like a house that's being lived in,' Alatar responded, shaking his head. The others seemed to have similar doubts. But it was Yorda who approached the door. She hesitated for only a second before reaching out to the wood.

'Wha-'

Before Nala could get a full word out, Yorda had already knocked on the door. Once. Twice. Three times. There was no response. The pale half-elf then pushed against the door, finding it unlocked. It swung open inwards, revealing a very dark and dusty interior of what had once been a tavern. Tables were broken and Nala could just about see a corpse slumped against a rotting wooden bar- before the thing started to move. Its head slowly rose to look at Yorda, and Nala could hear a faint snarl.

Zombies.

Shit.

She reached for her sword, ready to charge into the house to shield the others. But Yorda held up her hand, stopping the Dragonborn.

'Wait.'

As the corpse started to stand up, Yorda once again reached for the door. She pulled, and closed it again. The action made Nala frown.

'What are you doing?'

'Just… wait. I want to see how smart they are.'

Nala's frown deepened, but she didn't argue. It was too late for that, anyway. So she stood silently, her sword drawn. Waiting. The others followed her example. From the other side of the door, they could hear multiple sets of slow, dragging footsteps. They became louder, until they were right behind the rotting entryway.

 _Thud_.

 _Thunk_.

 _Thud_.

The sounds of bodies slamming against the walls. Against a door that wouldn't budge. Because it opened inwards. Nala eased up a little, lowering her sword. All right – so they weren't smart enough to open doors. She wasn't sure what was so important about that information. But it seemed to mean a lot to Yorda, who was seemingly deep in thought. Her fingers touched her bottom lip as her eyes darted all over the building. She seemed to do that whenever she was thinking. The Dragonborn shrugged, looking back at the group.

'All right. At least we can say for sure that Reidoth isn't in h-'

'Look out!'

From behind her, Nala could suddenly hear the sound of breaking glass. Little pieces rained all over her as the Dragonborn was grabbed from behind by a pair of dark, rotting arms. A zombie had staggered over to the window, which broke easily under the pressure. It caught her by surprise. Nala struggled against its arms as she brought her sword up, but the vile, rotting face was already inches away from hers-

And then it wasn't. A pink, sparkly ray flashed by and hit him square in the jaw, pushing the zombie off of her and back into the building. It hit the ground with another _thud_. Echo was standing next to Nala, her hand raised.

'Thank you.'

'You're welcome,' the Tiefling responded. 'Return the favor when the time comes.'

'I will.'

They moved away from the building. The wall beneath the window was still high enough to keep the zombies from crawling out. As long as that door was closed, they were stuck in there.

'Do we kill them?' Mialee asked, her bow still drawn. Echo shook her head.

'We're here to find Reidoth. So that's what we're going to do. Come on, let's go.'

Nala didn't agree with that. Undead had to be dealt with, whether it was sooner or later. But they didn't know enough of their surroundings yet to risk a big fight. Especially not with a dragon that could return at any moment. So she nodded, and followed Echo back down the trail.

They could deal with those things later.

Not long after the encounter, the group came across another intact building. This one caught their attention more than the others. It was a small cottage, but not as worn-down as the rest. In fact, it was in visibly better condition than the ruined structures around it. The doors were reinforced with heavy iron bands, and thick shutters were placed in front of the windows. The place looked… fortified.

'Now that's a lot more promising,' Echo said, nodding at the building. 'I bet there's someone in there.'

The Tiefling was probably right. She didn't seem to want to be the one to do the checking, however. Nala watched as Mialee walked up to the door, lowered her bow and gave a short knock on the iron bars. For a few moments, nothing happened.

Then a male voice rang out from inside the building.

'Who's there?'

'Are you Reidoth?' Mialee asked, knocking on the door again. 'We came from Phandalin. We were sent here to find you.'

Another silence fell, and the brown-haired elf stepped away from the door. Then a series of weird scraping sounds could be heard. The door shook and opened a few inches, revealing white hair and brown eyes. They were looking at the group with just a little bit of hostility.

'We're friends of Quelleen Alderleaf,' Nala said, stepping forward. 'She is the one that sent us here.'

'Quelleen did?'

'Phandalin is in trouble. You're the only one that still has the information we seek. Will you let us in, Reidoth?'

The eyes disappeared from the crack in the door. Nala heard more scraping sounds, after which the door suddenly swung open. In the doorway stood a human. Nala estimated him to be in his late fifties. Grey hair seamlessly flowed into a white beard, but Reidoth didn't look frail. On the contrary, the man stood up straighter than some of the Paladin recruits she'd seen. She instantly realized that this was not a weak person by any means. But he looked outside with a nervous expression, ushering the group to come in.

'Come then, quickly now! You don't want to stay out there.'

He stepped aside to let them through. Nala smiled gratefully. She had to bend down to fit through the doorframe, but made her way inside without any problems. The others followed. Reidoth raised his eyebrows when he saw Droop come in, but didn't comment. It was a small home, with a bed and a table. That was about it. Everything else was broken or boarded up. But it seemed safe. Nala holstered her weapon, glad to get a moment to breathe.

'Yorda? Aren't you coming?'

Echo stood with her head turned to face the door. Nala followed her gaze. She instantly realized what those scraping sounds had been. The other side of the door was packed with locks, bolts and chains, almost completely covering the wood. This place was definitely fortified. Reidoth had gone to close the door, but Yorda was making that impossible by standing right in the doorway.

'Move inside, please,' the human druid said to her. 'You don't want the undead to start pouring in after us.'

He sounded slightly nervous. Yorda didn't budge. She looked him straight in the eyes, head slightly cocked. That made Reidoth even more agitated.

'Please. It's not safe.'

'Yorda, come on,' Nala beckoned. The pale half-elf let her gaze travel to the Dragonborn. Her gaze softened, and she stepped inside. Reidoth quickly shut the door behind her, once again bolting it up. The inside would have been really dark with the door shut, if not for the rays of light falling through the cracks in the walls. Maybe this place wasn't so fortified, after all.

'All right,' Reidoth said, after shutting the last bolt. He turned back towards the group, his nervous expression slightly calmed. 'Why are you all here and what do you need?'

'We need information,' Echo said, taking the lead. 'We think that Gundrin Rockseeker and his family have found the location to a place called Wave Echo Cave. That information reached the wrong ears, and all three of them have been kidnapped. That was done by the same person that had the entirety of Gragmaw castle and the Redbrands in Phandalin working for him. We couldn't save Gundrin, but his brothers are still out there. And so is the mastermind behind their kidnappings. It would be extremely dangerous for the town if that cave were to fall into the wrong hands.'

'You're the only one that knows its location now,' Nala added. 'We need to know where to go, so we can rescue the Rockseeker brothers and defeat a very dangerous criminal. Quelleen told us that you know every part of this coast. Please tell us where to find Wave Echo Cave.'

As they talked, Reidoth's frown slowly grew deeper and deeper. He didn't interrupt them, but started pacing. Back and forth. And back again. When Nala finished speaking, the man turned to them with a very serious look in his eyes.

'I know where it is.'

'Then tell us, please,' Echo replied. Reidoth shook his head.

'I can't do that. There are things in that cave that are too dangerous to deal with.'

'We can handle it. We promised to see this through to the end,' Nala spoke. 'We're tougher than we look. But every day we wait, Nundro and Tharden come closer to death. We need your help to save them. Please help us.'

His eyes shifted from her to Yorda, who was still silently staring at him. It seemed to bother the old druid.

'I cannot tell you where Wave Echo Cave is,' Reidoth said again. 'But… I can guide you there. If you agree to help me with a problem of my own first.'

To her left and right, Echo, Yorda and Alatar all narrowed their eyes at the same time. The wizard opened his mouth to answer – but Nala quickly cut him off.

'That's only fair. What do you need?'

In return, the old druid sighed. He pointed behind him, vaguely in the direction of the tower.

'A few weeks ago, that stone tower in the middle of town was claimed as a lair by a green dragon. It intends to make this place its home, spreading poison and disease through everything it touches. If it's allowed to remain here, the plants and the ground will be corrupted until nothing will grow here anymore. It has to be removed. Someone has to remove it. And I on my own am not strong enough.'

'Is the dragon the one that sent the undead into town?' Mialee asked. Reidoth shook his head.

'No, but it certainly isn't making things better. I fear that the damage will be beyond repair at this point. Something has to be done.'

'You want us to kill a dragon?' Echo said, disbelief resounding in her voice. 'Kill a fucking dragon? Have you _seen_ that thing?'

'I want you to drive it off. If that involves killing it, then so be it. I just want it out of here. In return, I will guide you to the entrance of Wave Echo Cave. Of course, I'll help you in the fight. What do you say?'

'Whoa, whoa, whoa!' Echo protested. 'We did _not_ sign up for a dragon hunt! Isn't that the kind of things that you hire entire mercenary organizations for? Or Sildar's Lord's Alliance? Why haven 't you done that, instead?'

'I would have, if we'd had the time to do so. But we do not. By the time they would have gathered enough men, it will be too late.'

'Too late for what? For flowers to bloom? And that's without even mentioning any of the zombies walking around! Are you saying that there's a fucking dragon we have to deal with, _and_ a horde of zombies to look out for at the same time? A horde that's been made by something we haven't even seen yet?'

'The dragon is the more immediate threat,' Reidoth responded. 'It needs to be dealt with, and I need your help to deal with him.'

Nala understood where the man was coming from. A druid like Yorda, Reidoth probably had some kind of deep spiritual connection to the land around him. Green dragons especially were known to poison and corrupt everything they touched sooner or later. They were a disaster for any healthy environment. If it was allowed to remain here, all of the wildlife around Thundertree would probably die. Soon.

'Do you know what is causing the creation of the undead around here?' Nala asked, desperate for more information. The human druid merely shook his head.

'No. I'm sorry.'

It was a small change. Yorda's body shifted. Turned sideways. The Dragonborn almost missed it. She didn't think anything of it, until the pale half-elf suddenly started to speak to Reidoth in a language that Nala didn't recognize. It sounded simple, almost melodious. Not threatening at all.

But Reidoth reacted like someone had jabbed him with a stick. His eyes widened, and he talked back in the same tones. He threw his hands up and pointed in the direction of the tower. Yorda's body turned sideways a little more, and as she raised her hand Nala suddenly realized that she had placed herself in a fighting stance. What the hell was going on? She glanced at Echo and Mialee, but they didn't seem to know what was going on, either.

Reidoth threw his hands up again, silently this time. Like he was giving up. The tension in the room grew sharper. Then Echo put her hand on Yorda's shoulder.

'Mind telling the rest of us what's going on?'

That snapped her out of it. Yorda turned to look up at the dark-haired Tiefling.

'It wasn't important. Never mind.'

'…Riiiiight.'

On the other side of the room, Reidoth coughed.

'Anyway. That is my offer. You help me drive off the dragon, and I will escort you all to Wave Echo Cave. What do you say?'

'Well, fuck. You don't exactly give us much of a choice, do you?' Echo complained. 'What if we do it the other way around? You take us to the cave, and we use the things we find there to get stronger and come back to help you drive off the lizard.'

'No,' Reidoth replied, shaking his head. 'I would have no guarantee that you would return to help me… or even make it out of there alive.'

'We have no guarantee that you'll bring us to the cave after helping you, either,' Alatar growled. That seemed to anger the old druid. He stood up a little straighter, looking down on half the group.

'I am a man of my word. I will to guide you there, if you promise to help me first. But I also promise you this. The Sword Coast is an unforgiving place for those who do not know it well. You will never find Wave Echo cave on your own. That, too, is a promise.'

It wasn't a threat, but it was threatening enough. This was a problem. A big problem. Alatar seemed to be thinking the same thing, because his expression suddenly darkened.

'There are other ways to obtain information. Ways that are a lot less pleasant for _you_.'

'That's enough!' Nala snapped at him. The Dragonborn had understood the intent behind his words right away, and she was having none of it. Not this time. The wizard gave her an annoyed look. She chose to ignore it. Violence was not the answer- not here. But that did leave them with only one option. And that was the same as having no choice.

'I want your word,' Nala said to Reidoth. 'Give me your word that you'll guide us to where we need to go if we help you.'

'You have my word. In return, I want _your_ word that your group will aid me. Promise me that… paladin.'

Nala grimaced at his words. She knew what that promise would mean. She'd be responsible for both her own actions and that of all the others. Reidoth was shrewd. He wanted her to not only promise to help him, but to safeguard him from the others, as well. The Dragonborn really didn't like having to make promises about other people. Especially if one of those people was a loose cannon like Alatar, or a short-tempered elf like Mialee. But, again, she felt like there was no other choice. They had to find that cave. And Reidoth was the only one who knew how to get there.

They had to do this.

'…all right. I give you my word… as a paladin.'

* * *

 _The group spoke with Reidoth for another while longer, with Nala convincing the others that there really was no other way to do this. Reidoth agreed to help them in the fight, then warned the group about something else that he'd seen. A few days ago, a group of suspicious masked men had made their way into Thundertree. Reidoth didn't know what building they had holed up in, but every few days he could see a couple of them skulking around town. Naturally cautious, the old druid didn't trust the situation one bit. He warned the group to be very careful, before letting them back out of his house to come up with a plan. It was up to them, five people, to figure out how to defeat and drive off a green dragon…_

* * *

Back outside, Echo kicked at a loose pebble on the ground. It skid across the trail, landing near the wall of another ruined building.

'Well, fuck. We do have to fight the fucking dragon. And how the fuck do you suppose we pull that off?'

'There's got to be a smart way to do this,' Nala said, clenching her teeth. 'We'll think of something.'

'Oh, wonderful! Do we do that _before_ or _after_ he uses us as toothpicks to clean his fucking teeth?'

'Before would be good,' Alatar replied. His face was strangely calm, as if they weren't about to go to battle with a green dragon. Or maybe he just hadn't processed it yet. Nala wasn't sure. It bugged her, though.

'Look, I'm sure we can think of some kind of plan between all of us. Let's just… let's just brainstorm for now. Mialee?'

'I could set a trap,' the brown-haired elf said.

'That's good, that's a start. What kind of trap?'

'A hunting trap. For… rabbits.'

She seemed to realize what she was saying halfway her sentence, and her expression fell. Well, that was no good. Nala turned to the wizard.

'Alatar? Any ideas?'

'Sure. Lure it out of its tower and throw whatever we've got at it. Maybe we'll get lucky and some of us survive long enough to run away. But who am I kidding? We'll probably all die.'

'That's not helping!' Nala snapped at him.

'Hey, you wanted ideas. That's my idea.'

'And we still have to deal with the zombies around, too. Damn it. Echo?'

'Don't look at me,' the Tiefling replied, hands thrown in the air. 'I'm still voting we leave this place and go back to Neverwinter.'

'Yorda?'

The turned to the last member of the group. Who was not there. The Dragonborn huffed in annoyance, whipping her head left and right to look for her. This was becoming a bit of a habit, and Nala didn't like it.

She spotted the pale half-elf a little ways away from the group, near one of the ruined buildings. That one had zombies in it, too. Nala watched as Yorda grabbed the doorhandle and pushed it open, causing the zombies to spot her. She then closed it again and took a step back. The undead pounded on the door for a couple of seconds, before the air once again grew quiet.

What the hell was she doing?

'Yorda, why are you pissing off the undead?' Echo called out to her. 'We have bigger problems right now,'

The pale half-elf didn't answer. Her head was slightly cocked as she stared at the door. Nala walked up to her. Yorda had a strange, calculating look in her eyes.

'What are you doing?' the Dragonborn asked her softly. Yorda didn't answer, walking around the building and picking up a rock from the ground. She threw it at the wall. About half a second went by, before Nala started hearing the footsteps from inside again. They seemed to be moving away from her, and in the direction of the thrown rock. Yorda nodded slowly before looking back at her.

'We have to deal with these things before we can take on the dragon, right? To make sure they do not sneak up on us mid-battle.'

'Right.'

'We might be able to use that.'

'What do you mean?'

She shook her head and looked back at the door.

'I need some time. And we need to know what's in all of the other buildings… and where those masked men are. We cannot come up with a plan if we do not have all the details.'

That was true. They had only explored part of the city so far. There were still many places left unchecked. Not the least of which was the hideout of those men Reidoth had told them about. They had to find them too.

'All right. Let's look around a little more first. That's not such a bad idea.'

Nala nodded to the rest of the group to move on. She let Mialee take the lead, keeping an eye on the sky the entire time to make sure that dragon wouldn't come swooping down on them out of nowhere. Behind her, she could see Yorda pulling Echo away from the group. The two of them started whispering, with serious expressions on their faces. For a moment Nala was torn between asking them what was up and keeping an eye on the sky. The sky won. So she kept looking up, staying on guard as the group made its way through the rest of the town. Or, what was left of it.

They crossed a square with a large wooden statue on it, moving east and past the dragon tower. Eventually, they came across another building that looked to be in slightly better shape than the rest of them. The windows were boarded up and a heavy steel door was put in the doorway. That definitely looked out of place.

'This looks promising,' Mialee thought out loud. She and Nala were the only ones near the building. Yorda and Echo had lagged behind a little, seemingly paying great attention to every building the group came across. Alatar and Reidoth had been walking back and forth between them. A few twig blights had attacked the wizard, and he was trying to clean the leaves and branches off his robes with an irritated look on his face. Nala shifted her attention back to the building.

'Do you think they're in here?'

'Definitely.'

'What do you think we should-'

Before Mialee could finish her sentence, the door suddenly opened and a man stepped out. It was a human, dressed in dark robes and leather armor. His getup vaguely reminded Nala of… something. She couldn't quite put her claw on it. The man had a scimitar on his side, dull brown hair and a very startled look on his face as he froze halfway out the door, his foot hanging in the air. It took him a full five seconds to get some words out.

'…Wha- who are you?'

'Uh- travelers,' Nala replied, just as surprised by the sudden awkward situation. 'We're friendly.'

'Friendly to who?'

'Uh, you?' the Dragonborn stammered. Great. This was going fantastically. Where were that Tiefling and her honeyed words when you needed them?

'Who the hell are you?' Mialee spoke instead, making Nala cringe. The man in front of them didn't seem to like it all that much, either. He blinked, reaching for the sword on his hip. Nala quickly put her hands up.

'Whoa, whoa, hold up! We're not here to harm anyone. We're just here to find a friend and take care of the undead that are walking around the place. You're pretty alive, so, um, no danger from us! I think.'

Nala gave him a wide smile, trying to look nonthreatening. The man's gaze was immediately pulled to her sharp teeth. Ah, shit. Should have thought about that.

After a few very tense seconds, his hands moved away from the scimitar. He looked behind him and yelled into the building:

'Favric!'

Nala could hear footsteps approaching. Another human appeared in the doorway. This man was younger, with auburn hair and a shrewd look in his eyes. He looked at Nala with a surprised look on his face. Then a smile broke through.

'And you are?'

'You first,' Mialee replied. His smile grew wider.

'Forgive me – I hadn't expected anything walking around this place to still be talking. My name is Favric. I'm the leader of a group of scholars.'

He didn't look like a scholar. With his dark robes, goatee and leather armor, Favric definitely did not look like the scholarly type. Then again, looks could be deceiving.

'My name is Nala Fennorae, and this is Mialee. We're here to find someone, and deal with the undead problem around these parts.'

'Oh, I see,' Favric replied. He took a step back, pulling the other man with him.

'Well, then! Good luck, and goodbye.'

He went to close the door. Nala quickly stepped forward and yelled:

'Wait! You do know there's a dragon here? This place is dangerous!'

That got their attention. The two men looked Nala and Mialee over a second time, their expressions hard to read.

'We've seen it, yes. Its presence is… a bit of a problem.'

She could work with that. Nala carefully picked her next words.

'Would you be interested in getting rid of that problem?'

Nala was completely winging it, but she had to do something. They were a weird bunch. But if they were willing to help, they'd have double the people to take on that dragon. Or at least more than they had now. Favric did seem to be interested. He tilted his head slightly, letting his fingers run past his goatee.

'I'm listening. Or actually-'

The man stepped to the side. With a wave of his arm, he invited her inside.

'Come in. It's dangerous to stay out here for too long. Too much noise draws the undead towards us.'

Nala hesitated. She wasn't sure about these people. There was something… off about them. Something that made her uncomfortable. But when she saw Mialee step forward, the Dragonborn cut her off.

'No, stay outside. I'll go in myself.'

'What? Why?' Mialee asked, in an indignant tone. She seemed quite annoyed. But Nala remembered the last time she'd tried to take Mialee along for a conversation. It had ended up with a bugbear, a wolf and a drow almost killing half of the party. No, she did not feel like experiencing that again. So Nala shook her head, brushing Mialee aside.

'Just wait out here. Tell the others what I'm doing when they catch up. And for crying out loud, be careful.'

She didn't wait to hear Mialee's reply. With quick steps, Nala made her way inside. Favric and the other guy followed her, pulling the steel door shut behind her back.


	15. Chapter 4,3 - Unlikely alliances

**Chapter 4.3 – Unlikely alliances**

* * *

'Just wait out here. Tell the others what I'm doing when they catch up. And for crying out loud, be careful.'

She didn't wait to hear Mialee's reply. With quick steps, Nala made her way inside. Favric and the other guy followed her, pulling the steel door shut behind her back.

'All right, miss… Fennorae, was it?' Favric said, stepping further into the building. 'How may we be of service?'

Nala took her time to answer. From the corners of her eyes, she glanced around the inside of the building. There wasn't much there. A table, some boots, something that looked like the broken pieces of a scimitar. In the other room, Nala could see bedrolls. Six of them, in fact. More than the number of people that were in her group. If they were going to help them, then that was a very good thing. Greater numbers and all. But it didn't feel good. To Nala, it felt like they were outnumbered.

'You said you were scholars?'

'Oh, yes,' Favric replied with a smile. 'Biologists of a kind. We originally studied the wildlife in the Forest of Wyrms.'

'You're a long way from home, then,' Nala noted. 'What brought on the change of scenery?'

Favric laughed. He sounded slightly nervous.

'Well, to be completely honest… that dragon did. It flew over during one of our studies, you see. My men and I had never seen a creature like that before, and we were very intrigued. We wished to observe it from up close. We followed it here. It has proven to be a remarkable creature to observe.'

'You said the dragon was a problem to you and your men,' Nala reminded him. Favric nodded to her.

'Unfortunately, magnificent as it is, the dragon seems to have a rather unwelcome effect on the other wildlife in the area. All of them are dying off. Within mere days, if this continues. We are biologists first and foremost. As fascinating as I find that dragon, it would be best if the creature were to find a different home elsewhere.'

That was… remarkably similar to the story that Reidoth had told them, actually. Maybe Nala was just being paranoid. Maybe they really _were_ scholars, and just as worried about the environment as Reidoth was. That was good. That was very good. Nala quickly did the math in her head. The five of them, plus Reidoth, plus everyone in this building, made for a total of twelve people. Twelve people had much better odds of surviving than six. Maybe this could actually work. They still needed a plan… but now they'd have the men to actually have a chance at pulling it off.

Maybe this could actually work.

'We feel the same way,' Nala said, nodding to him. 'That's actually one of the things we're here for. We want to try and get rid of the dragon, too. We're coming up with a plan right now, actually. Would you and your men be willing to help us?'

'Are you proposing we work together to drive it off?' Favric asked. He was looking at her with a calculating expression in his eyes. Nala merely nodded.

'Yes. That's what I am proposing.'

'And the people you have with you? They agree with this plan?'

'If you agree to help us, yes.'

He crossed his arms, mulling over her words. After a few seconds, he beckoned the other man to come closer. Favric whispered something into his ear, after which the man disappeared into the other room. Favric then spread his arms, a grin appearing on his face.

'You have a deal, miss Fennorae! If it helps the wildlife, then we would be delighted to help you. Within reason, of course. We do not feel like ending up as that creature's lair decorations. You do have a plan, I assume?'

'We're working on it.'

'Wonderful. In that case I suggest that you bring your companions inside, before they turn into zombies as well. The dragon will come back soon. You can all stay here for the night.'

Nala hesitated. Favric must have read it off her face, because he raised his eyebrows in a sarcastic smile.

'Surely it will be safer than whatever hideout you've stayed in so far. Where have you stayed, anyway?'

'Outside the town, near the river,' Nala responded.

'Oh, that won't do at all. The dragon will see you the next time it swoops over. We can't have that, now can we?'

'I suppose not,' the Dragonborn replied. She wasn't sure what else to say. The truth was, this place did look pretty safe. The only other place was Reidoth's house, if that's what you could call it. And that building wasn't big enough to house all six of them. In here would probably be as safe as they were going to get.

'…I'll go get the others.'

It took Nala a few short minutes to round up her group, and a lot longer to try and convince everyone, including Reidoth, that the "masked men" were in fact just very enthusiastic scholars. Mialee was moping on the corner of the building's porch, seemingly still frustrated from being left out of the conversation earlier. Especially Echo seemed skeptical.

'Biologists? Out here? And you believe that? Come on, Nala.'

'We have no reason to doubt them.'

'We have every bloody reason,' the Tiefling mumbled under her breath. Nala chose to ignore that, focusing on the rest of the group instead.

'I know it looks weird, but we need all the help we can get. Let's at least go back inside and-'

Her words were overshadowed by the distant sound of beating wings. Nala had forgotten to keep an eye on the sky. She quickly looked up, looking for the cause of the sound. Just in time. There, against the late afternoon sun, she could see the silhouette of the dragon rapidly approaching.

'Time's up!' she yelled at the group. 'Either we go in, or we fight that dragon right now! Let's go!'

'Damn it, fine!' Echo yelled. They all took off for the front door, following after Nala. Just in time, too. As the last person ran in and they closed the door behind them, the large shadow of the dragon soared over the square. Its massive body circled the city twice before vanishing inside the stone tower. Even from back here, Nala could hear the dull _thud_ on the ground as it landed. They'd just barely evaded it again – for the second time now. There would probably not be a third.

'Well, that was way too close. I'd really like to have a plan before we decide to go up against that thing. Did you come up with anything?' Nala asked Yorda, trying to move the conversation along. The pale half-elf took a sideways glance at Favric, then shook her head.

'In the morning. I need a little more time.'

'All right. Favric, do you have somewhere we can sleep?' the Dragonborn asked Favric, who was still standing in the middle of the hallway. He nodded.

'Of course. There is an unused room to the left of here. Follow me, please.'

As the rest of the group followed Favric and his men, Yorda and Alatar stayed a few paces behind. The wizard gave the room a good looking over before turning to the pale half-elf.

'You look like you don't trust this, either,' he whispered softly as they walked. Yorda shook her head at him.

'No. They don't seem to be lying, but… they're not truthful, either. Something is weird.'

Alatar stared at her for a few seconds, before his eyes narrowed.

'You've already got a plan, don't you?'

'Yes. But I don't want them to hear it.'

'I think that's a good call. I don't trust these guys as far as I can throw them.'

'You're not very strong,' Yorda smiled.

'Exactly. We should stay on our guard tonight… and be prepared for anything.'

The pale half-elf nodded. Slowly, the two of them joined the rest of their group as they made themselves comfortable in what appeared to be an unused living room. They were right across the hallway from the other group. There, they spent a night with little sleep, taking turns to keep watch.

The next morning, Echo told Favric and his men that they were going to do some more scouting. It was a lie – they wanted to find a place to talk without any of their group following them. With Reidoth and Droop in tow, they quickly made their way over to one of the abandoned buildings. It was no more than a pile of rubble, with crumbling walls and a roof that was almost completely missing. But it served its purpose. As they entered the rubble, Yorda almost immediately crouched down and began to draw lines in the sandy floor.

'Mia, help me out here. Was this where that tavern was?'

The brown-haired elf squatted down next to her, grabbing a loose branch from outside.

'No. A little more to the right.'

'And the tower?'

'About… there.'

'All right. Do you remember which ones of them had a working door?'

'What are you two doing?' Echo asked, one eyebrow raised. By now, the two of them had outlined most of the city's buildings. With help from Mialee, she began to draw large crosses in some of them. One, two, three in total. After she was done, Yorda pointed at the crosses in the sand.

'Those are all of the buildings that had undead in them. I've wondered for a while now why there weren't any roaming around on the streets. The dragon might have defeated them, to keep them from wandering inside of its home.'

'I don't see how this helps us,' Nala replied. Yorda pointed at the drawing again.

'They can't leave because the doors open inwards. They're locked in. That's how they're still around. But there's a lot of them in there. If we have to clear out this place to prepare for fighting the dragon, we may just as well use the two against each other.'

'Pit the zombies against the dragon?' Nala asked. 'How do you propose we do that?'

Yorda got back up from the ground, making eye contact with the rest of the group.

'When I was with… when I was younger, I was taught to never fight two enemies at once. That dragon needs to eat. It will leave again to hunt for food. We can prepare an ambush for it when it comes back.'

'Excuse me? You want us to wait inside that tower for the thing to come flying back for lunch?' Alatar asked. Yorda shook her head.

'Not us. The zombies.'

'…Explain.'

She turned towards Mialee.

'Do you still have that flute you made?'

A few days ago, Mialee had visited the Edermath Orchard. On the way home, she'd grabbed some branches out of frustration to work on. It went better than expected, and the practice had left her with two wooden flutes. One she still had somewhere, and one she had given to Droop. The goblin remembered this as well. He quickly dug around in his ragged clothing and pulled out the instrument.

'Droop still has.'

'Can I borrow it for a bit?'

He hesitated for a second, then handed it over. Yorda held it up with a determined gleam in her eyes.

'We use this.'

'My flute?' Mialee asked, surprised. 'What? How?'

'Of course,' Alatar suddenly whispered. 'That rock you threw.'

'They go after sound,' Yorda nodded. 'I think we can use that against them. When the dragon leaves its lair, we can work together to lure as many zombies as we can find into the tower and barricade the door once they're inside. If it doesn't work, the dragon wastes a bit of its energy and we won't have had to deal with a wave of zombies first. If it does work, they may paralyze or even blind the dragon.'

'That would take care of both problems in one go,' Echo nodded, frowning. 'And how do you suppose we get them inside? If we open the door, the first thing they go for is still the poor sod who let them out.'

'Not if they can't see you. They go after noise, and so far none of them seem to be able to smell. You and Alatar can both turn invisible – if you open the door while someone makes a lot of noise in or near the tower, they will ignore you and walk towards the sound instead.'

That might actually work, Nala thought. If they could guide those things properly, then they wouldn't have to risk fighting any of them. The dragon would do it for them. So that's what Yorda had been doing the other day. As she listened, the pale half-elf continued:

'We'll have to work together to be able to do this. Reidoth and I will go into the dragon's lair and make as much noise as we can manage. Between the two, of us, I think that we can make quite a ruckus. Alatar and Echo, we need you to turn invisible and open the doors to the buildings with zombies in them. You're the only ones who can, and the only ones who can give us a signal in case something goes wrong.'

'Like them being able to smell, after all,' Alatar noted dryly.

'Yes, like that. Nala, Mialee, you'll need to lie in wait at the tower and barricade the doors behind the zombies once they're inside. This is the most important part. None of the others are as strong as you two, and Mialee is the fastest out of all of us. We need those doors closed, or everything fails. And if the others need backup, you need to be able to reach them quickly.'

The Dragonborn was surprised at the amount of thought that had gone into this. She'd considered everyone's individual strengths and made an actual strategy with them. But there was something that she seemed to be forgetting.

'So you and Reidoth go in there, and then what?' Nala asked her. 'If everything goes well, you'll be stuck inside a tower with a few dozen angry undead on your backs.'

'No, we won't,' Yorda smiled. 'The roof is open. I saw it the other day. The dragon broke it off when he moved in. If everything goes well, Reidoth and I can fly or climb out. There will be minimal danger to us. With a bit of luck, that dragon will come back to a few dozen zombies creeping all over his lair.'

'That… might actually work,' Alatar said slowly. The wizard had leaned up against the door post, deep in thought. 'I'd hate coming home to a bunch of vermin crawling over my tomes, too. It will want to find out who let them in. We can ambush it – for real this time – when it goes to search for us.'

'Favric and his men can help with that,' Nala nodded. This was starting to sound more and more like a real plan. With all twelve of them, they might actually have a chance. Especially if those zombies did any real damage. If everything went well, then…

Then this might actually work.

'We need to tell Favric and the others to get ready and wait for our signal,' Echo said. 'They don't need to know the rest of the plan. Having them come out to help us would just be a bother in this case. But they do need to know where to prepare to fight.'

The Dragonborn nodded. That made sense. Anyone else that wasn't able to fly or go invisible would be a liability at this point.

'We'll need to take a look at some of the last buildings, too. To see if we can use them in the dragon fight.'

'I can do that,' Mialee answered. Reidoth perked up next to her.

'I should join you. It's not safe to wander around on your own.'

'I will warn Favric and the others,' Nala added. 'Let's meet back here in fifteen minutes. You three come up with an escape plan in the meantime.'

She, Reidoth and Mialee exited the building. Before too long their footsteps started to fade.

And Echo immediately turned towards Yorda. Her tail was swishing back and forth rapidly, and her eyes were narrowed.

'All right, out with it. Which part were you not telling us?'

'How did you know?' Yorda asked, surprised.

'I'm used to drawing information out of people. You bite your lip when you're holding something back. You should really work on covering that up.'

That earned her a small smile, and even a look from Alatar that almost looked like respect. The wizard quickly masked it, however.

'All right. It's not that I don't trust those men-'

'Nobody here trusts those men,' Alatar interjected. 'Move on.'

'Well… there's an easy way to see if they really intend to help us. Nala told me the other night that all dragons have a treasure horde. Does that include gold?'

'Normally, yeah,' the wizard replied.

'They really value their hordes, right? Do you think they'd be able to smell it if a piece went missing? Do you think they'd be able to smell it on a person?'

'Maybe. What are you trying to say?'

'We need to take a look at that tower before we can start the plan. To make sure there's no other monsters in there. What if, when we go to check, we take one or two gold coins from its treasure horde… and slip them into the pocket of one of the scholars? If they really want to help us, they'll attack the dragon either way. But something is weird about them. They seem way too interested in that dragon.'

'I noticed that, too,' Echo nodded. 'They're too enthusiastic. I think I've heard of people wanting to serve dragons before. That would make them our enemies. They'd probably make a deal with the dragon and backstab us first chance they get. But if that's what they want…'

'Then slipping them a coin or two from its horde will make sure they won't get a chance to sell us out,' Alatar finished her sentence. 'If it smells its own treasure on them, it might just bite their heads off before they can start talking to it! This might work!'

'Nala wouldn't like it, though,' the pale half-elf mumbled. Alatar waved her hesitations away.

'What she doesn't know can't harm her. And if those guys really are who they say they are, then this won't harm them, either. We're doing it.'

Echo nodded. The three of them started to work out the details of an escape plan, waiting for Nala and Mialee to return.

That didn't take long. The rest of the morning was spent in preparation for what was to come. They prepared as best they could, even giving Droop a role to play in it all. The goblin did not seem very happy about it. Yorda gave him a pouch full of large, blue berries, telling him to "feed that to anyone who fell unconscious during battle". They immediately caught the interest of Echo.

'What are those?' she asked the pale half-elf.

'Goodberries. They don't do much, but they'll get you back on your feet if you get knocked down too badly.'

She reached for the pouch to show one to the Tiefling… and was met with an empty sack.

'Droop, you weren't supposed to eat them!'

'Was hungry.'

'Where did the rest go? There were eight berries in there!'

'Ate them,' the goblin replied, his mouth full of fruit.

'All of them? _All_ of them?'

'Why, what happens if he eats a lot? Does he start to hallucinate, or something?' Echo asked. Yorda shook her head.

'No, that's wonderberries.'

'Really?' the Tiefling smiled. 'That's very interesting. Tell me about those.'

'Why do you want to know about won-'

'Dragon!'

They all froze and looked to their left. Mialee had been standing guard, posted right behind the window of Favric's entrance hall. A dark shadow swooped over the trees right across the street from them. A second later, it was gone. The group could hear heavy wings beating as the dragon quickly made its way south.

It was time.

'Come on,' Nala said. 'If we're going to do this, we need to do it now.'

The others nodded, with grim expressions on their faces.

With determined steps, they made their way outside… and began.

* * *

 **None**

* * *

As soon as they had made it outside, the group split up. They charged off in different directions, putting the plan into motion. As Reidoth, Mialee, Nala and Yorda made their way to the tower, Alatar and Echo split off from the rest.

'It's now or never. Let's do this.'

They briefly nodded to each other before turning invisible. Neither could see the other anymore, but they both knew where they were going. There were three marked buildings with zombies in them. Alatar would take the one on the east, while Echo would take care of the ones in the center and on the west side of the decaying town. Under the protective cloak of invisibility, they started to make their way there.

It didn't take the main group long to reach the tower. The place was eerily quiet. The entrance looked the same as when they'd checked it before. Even the spider corpses were still there, rotting.

'I'll hide in the tall grass,' Mialee said to them. 'It's high enough to hide me from view, and I'll be able to see the sky in case Alatar or Echo call for help.'

'Don't make any sounds once they start coming up the hill,' Nala replied to her, with a worried frown on her face. 'We don't know just how good their hearing is. I'll be hiding around the corner of the building, so I won't be able to get to you quickly if they swarm you. Just… be careful.'

'I know.'

She jumped into the tall grass around them, almost instantly vanishing from sight.

'We'll move into the tower,' Reidoth spoke, holding one of Mialee's flutes in his hand. 'We'll give the others a few minutes to get into position. Then we'll start. Good luck, everyone.'

He nodded to Yorda, and the two of them walked into the tower. Nala positioned herself just around the corner of the building, keeping a wary eye out for more twig blights. In the tall grass, Mialee did the same.

By now, Alatar and Echo had reached their respective buildings. A softly muttered incantation from the Tiefling summoned a spectral servant, also invisible, that moved towards the third building. They took their places at the doors, waiting silently for the signal. Alatar was playing around with the coin that he'd swiped from the dragon's lair. It had been an impressive treasure hoard – heaps of coins, weapons and two scrolls ripe for the taking. But the pale half-elf had pleaded with him to wait. So he'd, begrudgingly, only taken a few coins. The plan was to slip it to one of the cultists later. But for that to work, they'd have to get this part of the plan completed first. And so he waited.

And waited.

Suddenly, without warning, a high-pitched, shrieking tone blasted out from the direction of the hill. It was so loud and so false that both Alatar and Echo reflexively covered their ears. Apparently the hollow tower acted as an amplifier, making the sound carry even further than they had expected. Great. Painful to their ears, but great. The wizard immediately stepped towards the door, grabbed hold of the handle and pushed it open. He quickly took a couple of steps back from the entrance, holding his breath. Time seemed to slow down. Alatar could hear his own heart beating in his chest. The flute kept sounding in the background as he waited, frozen in place, waiting for something to happen.

And then the first zombie came staggering out. He went right for the wizard, moaning in typical rotting zombie-fashion. Then he stopped. His head tilted, slowly turning towards the sound of the flute shrieking in the distance. He stood there for a good five seconds. Then, with another grunt, the zombie started to walk in the direction of the sound. Another zombie came out after him, following. And another. The plan was working. Alatar waited until they were at least ten feet away from him before exhaling slowly.

It was working.

On Echo's end, the Tiefling had kept a safe distance between her and the door. As soon as she heard the flute, she used one of her cantrips to slam open the door, mentally instructing her invisible servant at the other door to do the same. It was a bit loud – the wood crashed against the wall with a loud _bang_ as the door swung open. The reaction was instant. Loud, angry moaning could be heard from inside. Echo took another few steps back, just in case. A group of zombies staggered out not long after that. They, too, started to walk in the direction of the flute. There were a lot of them. Echo counted three, four, five marching out right after each other. But they were acting according to plan. It was working. The Tiefling stepped back further, slowly moving towards her unseen servant. He had opened his door, as well.

But no zombies were coming out. The door was open, but nothing was happening. And they had checked this place before – Mialee had been sure that there were zombies inside. What was going on?

She cautiously approached the front door. It was pitch black in there. She couldn't make out any shapes. But it wasn't silent. From inside the building, Echo could hear sounds. Something was slamming against wood. Hard. She concentrated, and could hear muffled moaning and grunting. Slam. Slam.

They were stuck.

'Shit,' the Tiefling cursed. She quickly grabbed the handle and pulled the door closed again. This building was no good. There was nothing more that she could do. She wasn't going to go in there and break them out. Hell, no. If they were stuck, then that was it. This would have to do. The Tiefling nodded to herself. She quickly drew a cross on the door. Then Echo moved back from the building, heading towards the tower.

Hidden in the tall grass, Mialee could see the first few zombies starting to stagger up the path. They didn't barge through the thicket. They were at least smart enough to follow the path, the brown-haired elf realized. Mialee stayed completely still, hiding her breath as groups of rotting legs marched right past her.

They were coming up.

Before long, Nala could see them coming as well. As the sound flute kept resounding from the tower's hollow chamber, the Dragonborn watched as seven, eight, nine zombies marched up the hill and towards the entrance. The sight of the horde approaching was enough to make the skin on the back of Nala's neck crawl, but the paladin kept still. They didn't see her. So far so good. The zombies staggered over to the doorway. Nala and Mialee had opened it as far as possible beforehand. One by one, they walked in. Or pushed their way in, more specifically. It wasn't dignified. Then again, they were zombies. The shrieking flute sound seemed to really piss them off. They all tried to get through the doorway at the same time, causing a giant clog at the entrance. One tripped over the feet of another, crashing down to the ground and rolling back a few meters. Then he got back up… and bypassed the door, staggering along the wall and around the other corner instead. He vanished from sight.

'Uh-oh,' Nala muttered. That was bad. They couldn't let those things roam around freely. The Dragonborn quickly moved back, sneaking around the building as best as she could with her clunky armour. There it was. The zombie had moved to the back of the hall, towards one of the side doors. He was banging on it. Loudly.

'Damn it,' Nala muttered under her breath. That was loud enough to attract the zombies into going the wrong way. She had to deal with it, fast. The Dragonborn reached for her sword, approaching the zombie from behind. He was too busy banging on the door to notice. With a swift motion she swung her weapon, decapitating the undead creature. He slumped down against the wall.

The danger hadn't passed, though. By now, Nala could hear moaning from right on the other side of the small door. She had to act fast. The paladin grabbed the iron axe on her back. It was just large enough to fit through the door handle. She shoved it through, barricading the door from outside.

And then a branch snapped on the ground. Right behind her. Nala instinctively spun around, sword in hand, ready to slice open some more undead corpses. And made eye contact with Mialee. She just barely missed decapitating the elf, only stopping at the last second.

'Hey! Watch it!'

'Don't sneak up on me, Mialee!' the Dragonborn squeaked. 'I could have chopped your head off!'

'Sorry. But I came to get you.'

'Why?'

'The last of the zombies just went in. We need to close the doors and barricade them. And they're heavy doors.'

Oh, right. That part of the plan. They were on the wrong side of the building. Nala gave a quick nod and followed Mialee back to the front doors. It took them a couple of moments, but they got both wooden doors closed and barricaded in the end by shoving a rusty iron bar through the handles.

Inside the tower, the screeching flute sounds suddenly stopped.

'What happened?' Mialee asked, looking up with a worried frown on her face. 'Did it work?'

'I don't know. Come on, we have to meet up with the others.'

The brown-haired elf nodded. The two of them took off, heading for the large town square.

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

* * *

Yorda and Reidoth were in the lower part of the dragon's tower, blowing their lungs out to make as much noise as possible. They didn't know what was going on outside. They didn't need to. As soon as the first few zombies started to pour in, both druids knew that things were going right according to plan. Yorda waved at Reidoth, then pointed upwards. Then pointed at him again. The white-haired human nodded and stopped playing.

'All right. I'll see you back in the square. Don't wait too long.'

With a slight gesture of his hands, the druid's form shifted and transformed into that of a sparrow. He circled once before flying up and out of the tower's open ceiling. It was just Yorda now. The tiny half-elf kept blowing on the flute as more and more zombies came staggering in, slowly making their way towards her. Behind them, Yorda could see the heavy main doors closing. She started walking upstairs, luring the zombies with her as she went. At the last second, she transformed into one of the huge spiders that were lying outside. Spider-Yorda rapidly climbed up against the wall, out of the zombies' reach. When she reached the hole in the ceiling, she stole a last glance backwards. There was a decent number of zombies locked up in there. In the worst case scenario, the dragon took care of some dangerous enemies for them. In the best case, the zombies actually weakened the dragon. Either one was possible.

They would find out which one it was soon enough.

It was time for step two.


	16. Chapter 4,4 - Tooth, claw and poison

**Chapter 4.4 – Tooth, claw… and poison**

* * *

 **None**

* * *

At the same moment that spider-Yorda had reached the top of the tower, Alatar and Echo had made their way over to the town square. The wizard and the Tiefling looked around nervously, searching for any sign of leftover zombies. There were none to be found. The square was deserted.

They were good to go.

'Get rid of that,' Echo told Alatar, glancing down at the handful of dragon coins in his fist. He nodded.

'I know, I know.'

The two quickly ran over to the building with the dragon scholars in them. Alatar jumped up on the porch and grabbed the handle to the front door, pulled- and nothing. The door was locked.

'What the fuck?'

He pulled on the handle again. It wouldn't budge. Echo joined him and tried the windows, but with no luck. The shutters wouldn't open.

'Hey! Favric!' Alatar hissed at the door, afraid to make too much noise. 'Open up! It's us, damn it!'

There was no response. Echo cursed under her breath.

'Shit.'

From the other side of the square, they saw Nala and Mialee approaching. Alatar quickly hid the coins in his robes. The Dragonborn and the elf joined their companions at the building, looking up curiously.

'What's going on?'

'The bastards won't open the door!' Alatar hissed. 'They've locked us out!'

'What the hell? Why?' Mialee responded.

'I don't know. Because they're a bunch of-'

'Maybe they're not inside,' Nala replied, cutting him off. 'We did tell them to get ready for battle as soon as we left. Perhaps they're hiding in the buildings at the square. Like we told them to do.'

'They better be,' Echo growled. 'In a few hours we'll have a fucking dragon to deal with down here. We need their swords in battle.'

'Where are Reidoth and Yorda?' Mialee asked, looking around.

'They'll join us soon. Come on, we should choose a building and get ready. It won't be long before that dragon comes back.'

* * *

They split up. Alatar moved straight over to the building opposite of the scholar's hideout. Mialee and Echo both chose the partly collapsed stone house directly to the south of the square's statue, and Nala decided to hole up in the cracked shack on the west side. There were two other buildings flanking the town square – a large building with a marked X on it, that Echo had stuck on the door, and a smaller hovel. The door was cracked, and as Nala walked into her hideout, she saw Favric from the corner of her eye. He was huddled together in the small building opposite of her, together with all six of his men. A tiny bird was perched on the windowsill. Nala and Favric made eye contact. The Dragonborn nodded to him once. Then she quickly entered her own house and moved out of sight.

It didn't take long for Yorda to reach the rest of her group. As everyone waited, a giant, glowing white spider suddenly ran out of the forest. It passed by the wooden statue, heading straight for the building that Favric and his men were in. They did not expect that. All of a sudden their only exit was blocked by a massive spider. They flinched. So did Yorda. About a millisecond passed, before the spider quickly lifted its front paw and waved. Favric and his men didn't seem to get the hint. One guy instantly grabbed his sword, stabbed while loudly screaming: "YAAAHHHHH!", and slashed off a leg.

If a spider could have looked angry, it would have. Yorda tried waving again, but now everyone else was reaching for their swords as well. She was about to get skewered.

'For crying out- stop that! It's us!'

The bird in the windowsill dropped its form, and suddenly there was another man standing in the small hovel of a building. Reidoth looked down on them with an annoyed expression on his face, glaring at Favric.

'Know who your bloody allies are! Now put that sword down, young man, before you poke someone's eye out with it.'

'Oh. Right. Sorry.'

'Yorda, take the other building. It's getting cramped in here.'

The spider skittered off to the building that Nala was holed up in. Reidoth let out a sigh. He glared at Favric again.

'Some bright men you've got. For crying out loud.'

'Sorry.'

And they waited.

* * *

Back in the south part of the square, Echo and Mialee were eating the last of yesterday's amount of goodberries. Both figured this might be the last chance they'd get before facing a giant green lizard. Mialee was chewing on the berries, a dissatisfied frown on her face.

'It's a shame they don't taste like anything. I guess that's to be expected from magical berries. But still.'

'I can make them taste different, if you like,' Echo smiled at the elf. She raised her eyebrows at the Tiefling.

'What do you mean?'

'Concentrate on a flavor that you like. Picture yourself eating that, instead.'

A bit skeptical, Mialee did as she asked. The brown-haired elf imagined something she hadn't tasted in a long time: freshly caught woodland deer, seasoned just right in only the way that her clan could. As she did, Echo's eyes changed colour for a moment. Mialee took another bite of her goodberry, and to her surprise, it suddenly tasted exactly like the home cooked meals from her memory. She looked up at Echo with a surprised expression on her face.

'I'm not as flashy as Alatar, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve, too,' the Tiefling said, smiling. 'Want me to make it taste like something else? Caviar? White truffles? Special albino moose cheese? I can let you pretend to have some pretty high-class dining with that berry.'

'Did you just say albino moose cheese?' Mialee said, chuckling.

'Hey, don't judge. If it's expensive, it's good dining.'

'I bet. But this is fine. I like it like this.'

She took another bite of her goodberry.

'Thanks, Echo.'

And they waited.

* * *

In the most southern part of the square, Alatar was fumbling with the coins that he'd stolen from the dragon. There hadn't been an opportunity to slip them to the scholars. And going over there now would look way to suspicious. So he snapped his fingers, clearing the coins of any odors that might have clung to them. That was the best that he could do. The wizard sat down on a snapped beam, looking at the sky for any sign of the dragon.

Nothing.

'Droop not understand.'

Alatar looked down with a surprised expression. He hadn't even seen the goblin come in with him. It made sense, though. He was the one that was the furthest away from where the dragon was going to land. Probably. It made sense that Droop would follow him.

'What don't you understand? The berries that they gave you to feed people, if they fall unconscious?'

'No, that simple.'

'What, then? Spit it out.'

The tiny goblin was looking at him with a weird expression on his jagged, ratty face. At least, it used to be ratty. Droop was actually looking a little more healthy than when they'd first found him.

'You not scared?'

'Of what?'

'Of dragon.'

'Not really.'

'Dragons strong. You might die.'

Alatar let out a low chuckle.

'Of course we'll die. That much was to be expected when we decided to be stupid enough to try this.'

'You not scared of dying?'

'Psch. Everyone dies at some point. We had a good run. I guess this is what happens when you're stupid enough to deal with people like this.'

He let out another snicker. Droop tilted his head a bit, staring at Alatar with wide open eyes. The wizard returned his gaze with a slight smirk.

'What about you, then? Aren't you scared of dying, goblin?'

Droop shook his head.

'Droop get death threats all the time. Is used to concept. Is pain that Droop not like.'

He looked down on his pouch with the berries, and at the claw on his hip. His gaze softened a little.

'Droop not had any pain since joining weird group. Treat Droop like equal. So Droop not mind. Is okay with possibility.'

The wizard chuckled again. But this time, his tone was gentle. He leaned back against the wall, his hands behind his head.

'Yeah… I guess we're all a bunch of misfits. You fit right in, in that regard. They're… a strange group. I guess the past few weeks weren't all bad. There's worse ways to die.'

He let the dragon coin roll around between his fingers. Droop looked at it for a while, before speaking again.

'Droop has goodberries, you know.'

'Yeah, I know. I was standing next to you when they gave them up.'

'Berry heals people, you know. Weird white elf told Droop.'

'Yes. I know.'

'Droop has five. Had six, but Droop was hungry, so ate one. But still has five.'

'Oh yeah?'

The small goblin nodded. His ears flapped up and down when he did that.

'Yes. One for everyone in group. So if weird wizard falls, Droop can heal. Keep you from dying. Droop will heal.'

Alatar opened his mouth to respond, but caught himself at the last second. He gave the goblin in front of him a long, calculating look. Then a tiny smile appeared on his face.

'…Thanks, Droop. I appreciate that.'

* * *

When the sun had traveled a large arc across the sky and was almost beginning to set again, the moment that they had been waiting for finally arrived.

The dragon came back.

Nala shot up into a standing position when she heard it. The sound of large, beating wings. She grabbed Yorda, who had been playing rock-paper-scizzors with one of Favric's guys on the other side of the square, and pulled her inside the building.

'Wha- hey!'

'Quiet! He's coming!'

The two tried their best to look out of a crack in the ceiling. The next second, a large shadow traveled over the entire square. It was even bigger than they remembered. The dragon circled the town twice, before seemingly heading for the tower. Nobody could see the tower from where they were. They had to rely on their hearing only. Mialee and Echo strained their ears as they tried interpret what they heard.

 _Whoosh_.

 _Whoosh_.

Something heavy landed on top of a stone structure with a loud _crack_. The stone groaned and protested underneath the weight. They heard another _whoosh_. A short silence… followed by a loud _thud_ that shook the ground underneath Nala's and Yorda's feet.

Then… nothing.

Silence.

'What's going on?' Echo muttered to Mialee. The brown-haired elf could do nothing but shrug. She didn't know, either. The two stood frozen, their bodies tense and ready to react to anything.

But all they heard was silence.

And silence.

 _FWOOOMMM_!

It was a sound of what could best be described as a rolling wave of stormclouds bursting out of a building. They could hear wooden beams cracking and splintering. The noise was deafening, and Yorda, Alatar and Mialee instantly moved to cover their ears.

'What the fuck was that?!'

'I- I think he found the zombies,' Mialee gasped.

'No fucking shit! Do you think they-'

They were interrupted by another large cracking sound as something massive seemed to tear its way through a collection of wood. They heard the grinding of scale against stone and a loud snap. A guttural growl arose from the direction of the tower.

' _Who dares to intrude on my lair?'_

They heard something push off from the ground, and the flapping of wings. The next second, the dragon's shadow was back. It soared over the city as the beast roared out its rage. Once. Twice. Then the green monstrosity coursed straight for the town square. It slammed down on the ground, its talons clawing into the cobblestones and tearing large gashes into the road. Its lime green scales gleamed in the setting sun, back and neck adorned with sharp spikes that seemed to protrude from its vertebrae. The monster radiated a sickly odor, the scent seeping out of its mouth as it looked around in unbridled anger.

' _Insignificant vermin. I will erase you from the face of this world.'_

'No, wait!'

Favric suddenly came running out of the house on the eastern side. He ran towards the dragon – and kneeled down, almost throwing himself at his feet.

'My lord! We are at your mercy. It wasn't us – but I know the culprits. We have an offering for you! A sacrifice, to please our lord! They are in there!'

He pointed right at the house that Yorda and Nala were holed up in. The Dragonborn witnessed the display with increasing disbelief.

'There are six of them. Feast on them, and leave us in your good graces!'

'YOU TRAITOR!'

That came from Reidoth. The old druid had risen to his full length, and his white hair was crackling with electrical energy as he turned his wrath towards Favric's followers. A bolt of lightning shot off of his outstretched hand, slamming into the men as he threw them against the walls. Hard.

The green dragon let out an amused chuckle.

' _You puny humans never cease to amuse me. Come, then. Let me see what meal you have prepared for me.'_

His massive, scaled head turned towards the hovel that Favric was pointing to – at the same moment that Yorda came darting out. She snapped her fingers to set the door of the cultist's house on fire, keeping them from going outside. She looked up at the dragon's massive form with an impressed smile on her face and yelled out:

'You look magnificent!'

Then she darted straight into the bushes and vanished from sight. The green dragon tilted its head, amused by the situation. His eye turned towards Nala, who had come out after the half-elf.

' _Come to sate my appetite, have you? Yellow, tailed worm?'_

He spoke without moving his lips. The green dragon looked down on her, breathing on Nala with a wide, toothy grin on its face. Her shield was up and she was eyeing the dragon with a mixture of panic, rage and raw determination.

'You'll not have me as a meal,' the Dragonborn growled, gripping her shield a little tighter. 'You'll not have my companions as a meal. You'll not have anyone for a meal ever again.'

' _Oh? And why is that?'_

'Because I will make sure we _end_ you. Right here and now. Permanently.'

And the Dragonborn pounced. She shot forward, lunging at the dragon with her longsword. The weapon had an otherworldly glow to it, as if it had been charged with divine energy. But the attack missed – the dragon merely moved its head up and out of Nala's reach. The blade's glow dulled, a spell wasted.

' _Weakling. Come, then. I will turn your skulls into decorations for my treasure horde!'_

A high-pitched hiss escaped from the dragon's mouth as he turned, knocking the statue over with his tail and sending it flying. Favric made his move, too. He charged at her, sword drawn-

'No, you don't, you overgrown lizard!'

From the corner of the square, Alatar suddenly came running in. His arms were raised and his eyes flashed with arcane energy. As he chanted beneath his breath, he pointed at his ears. Nala instantly knew what he was about to do. She jumped back, covering her own ears with her clawed fingers. The wizard stretched out his arm in front of her – and a burst of thunderous energy erupted from the spot that he was pointing at, catching Favric and the green dragon off guard. Heavy vibrations filled the air and assaulted their eardrums. The green-scaled beast hissed again. He quickly his head in the air to negate the damage.

Favric wasn't so lucky. The shatter spell tore him apart on the spot. He crumpled to the ground, blood dripping out of his severely fractured eardrums. If he was still alive, he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

'Everyone! Like we planned!'

The bushes rustled. Above the dragon's head, a white ray of light suddenly appeared, engulfing his head in pale, ghostly flames. The beast roared in pain as it jumped to the side, slamming into one of the buildings. The group didn't give him any time to recover. As Nala charged with her divine smite for a second time, Alatar ran by to cast another shatter spell. They couldn't give him any time to retaliate. They couldn't give him any chance to strike. They had to deal with him before then. So the group used everything they had.

Echo had been perched up in the safety of the stone house, using the solid walls for cover. The dragon hadn't noticed her yet. But he was too far away for her to use her eldritch powers on him. The Tiefling feared going outside. She was afraid of the dragon. She was afraid to die. But they needed her. And they had a plan. As long as they kept hitting it and didn't give him an easy target, they could win. Plus, they needed her. So Echo collected herself and stormed outside, taking aim and pelting the dragon with her eldritch blasts. It was working. As they whittled away at it, the group could see small wounds starting to appear on the beast's scaly hide. It was working. They could kill it.

' _Insignificant vermin! Do you really think that you stand a chance?!'_

'Oh, shut up!' Mialee yelled as she ran outside as well. She took aim, unloading arrow after arrow on the dragon. She was right next to the Tiefling. She didn't move any further. That wasn't according to plan. They had to spread out, to make sure they wouldn't turn into an easy target. Echo looked at her with an alarmed expression on her face.

'No, Mialee! Move!'

But the brown-haired elf kept shooting, completely focused on the dragon. Her arrows only seemed to piss him off. The giant creature whipped around towards Nala, mouth wide open, and snapped at the Dragonborn. Only her shield kept her from being skewered alive. But some of the fangs pierced through her armor. It hurt. Bad. Nala flinched as she felt the poison on his fangs, trying to seep into her body as they ripped her flesh open. She gritted her teeth and shrugged it off.

Another bolt of electricity shot out of the cultist's building. The ghostly ray of light moved over the dragon a second time, searing his hide and making a sickly smell of rot waft over the town square. He was getting pelted by arrows, frost rays and eldritch blasts from all sides. Nala kept hacking into it with her longsword, cutting a large gash across one of its paws. The beast was looking rough. Another round of attacks, and it might actually go down.

The dragon seemed to realize that, too. With another guttural howl, the dragon suddenly spread its wings. It pushed off from the ground. Its massive body soared through the sky. He circled the square once before landing on the cultist's hideout. It looked down on them, rage shining in his eyes.

' _You will regret this,'_ the dragon growled. _'Mark my words. This is not the last you've seen of me. You will regret the day that you challenged Venomfang, you miserable insects!'_

He opened his mouth. The group didn't have time to react. Before any of them could move, the green dragon named Venomfang spewed forth a massive cloud of green, poisonous gases at the only two members of the group who were together. Mialee and Echo.

'No!'

Too late. The cloud completely enveloped the two of them, obscuring them from sight as the Tiefling let out a pained scream. A grin spread across the dragon's toothy maw. Venomfang spread his wings again. He pushed off from the building's brittle roof, that gave way under its sharp talons and crumbled. He fled. As the poisonous cloud settled in, the young green dragon beat its wings and flew out of Thundertree, as hard as he could. Away from its lair, and away from them. Until he had vanished from sight, disappearing into the setting sun.

He was gone.

They'd won.

But nobody was in a celebratory mood. Nala dropped her weapons. Both her and Alatar took off running towards the poison cloud as fast as their legs could carry them. By the time it had dissipated, it was already too late. There were two bodies on the floor. A small elf and a dark-haired Tiefling. Neither was moving.

'Oh no, please, no,' Nala winced. She ran straight to Mialee, falling on her knees next to the elf. Mialee was sprawled out on the floor. The bow was still in her hand, but her eyes were closed and her body was unresponsive. Nala roughly grabbed hold of her wrist. Checked for a pulse. There was none. Nala let out a rare curse, instead going for the vein in her neck. This time she did feel a sign of life. It was faint, but it was there. The Dragonborn immediately grabbed hold of her holy symbol and cast her last spell of the day, curing the elf of the poison that had entered her body. Under Nala's guiding hand, she could feel Mialee's heartbeat strengthen. She was going to make it.

Thank goodness.

The Dragonborn stood back up to run to Echo, but Alatar had already made it there. The wizard had done the exact same thing that she had. But his expression was not one of relief. He checked her neck. Then her other wrist. Muttered an incantation under his breath, and released a short pulse of energy into Echo's chest. It didn't work. Echo's body remained unresponsive. Unmoving.

'Hurry up, wizard!' the Dragonborn shouted. 'Fix her already!'

'I… can't.'

'Then get out of my way, damn it! I'll do it!'

She had no patience for this. The Dragonborn dashed over, fully prepared to shove the wizard aside and heal Echo herself. But Alatar just shook his head.

'There's nothing we can do at this point.'

He brought his hand up to Echo's face. Her eyes were open. He sighed, and closed them in a surprisingly gentle gesture. Nala could feel all of her blood turn to ice as the meaning of that gesture registered in her mind.

' _You have my word. I'll protect you.'_

She'd failed.

'I'm sorry. Echo is gone.'


	17. Chapter 5,1 - Neverwinter

**Chapter 5: Wave Echo Cave**

* * *

 **5.1: Neverwinter**

* * *

'I'm sorry. Echo is gone.'

His words brought on a long, shocked silence. It was as if time stopped flowing for a moment. Nala and Alatar looked down on the Tiefling's remains. The poisonous cloud had done such damage on her skin that Echo was almost unrecognizable. It was hard to watch, and Nala had to look away. She mechanically moved over to Mialee. The Dragonborn placed a single gold-scaled hand on her chest, healing her and bringing the elf back to consciousness. At the same time, Yorda came charging out of the bushes.

'What happened?!'

She came to join a stunned silence as she, too, found the Tiefling's body.

'Echo is gone,' the paladin muttered softly. 'I failed her.'

That didn't seem to register in the small half-elf's mind. She cocked her head to the side, looking confused. Nala merely pointed to Echo's remains. She couldn't say anything more. The Tiefling was crumpled on the ground. Her limbs were spread out under her, like a puppet whose strings suddenly got severed. It was a painful sight. Yorda slowly approached the remains, a frown appearing on her face.

'No.'

She sunk down, placing her hands on the Tiefling and healing her. The damage to her skin disappeared. But nothing else happened. She remained still. Lifeless. Yorda's frown deepened.

By now, Mialee had risen up from her position on the ground. The brown-haired elf looked down at Echo in shock. It took a few seconds for the scene to register. When it did, her expression turned to anger, then rage. Finally the elf seemed to deflate, looking down at Echo with a silent mix between determination and grief.

'There has to be something we can do.'

'It's too late,' Nala said, shaking her scaled head. 'She's gone.'

'But there has to be something.'

'It's too late, Mialee.'

'Actually… maybe it's not,' Alatar replied.

'What do you mean?'

The wizard, head still cloaked, was rubbing his chin with his fingers as he thought out loud.

'There's a clergy in Neverwinter. It's not a guarantee or anything, but they might be able to help her there. It's the best chance she has.'

His helpful attitude stunned Nala and Mialee. Yorda didn't hesitate for a second, though. She nodded and gestured at Echo's body.

'Then we bring her there. Now. Help me put her on my back.'

Her form flickered and turned into that of a white bear. Nala nodded and gulped. This would fall to her. She slowly moved over to Echo's remains. The Tiefling was still warm. Somehow that made it even worse. The Dragonborn bit her lip to regain her composure as she picked Echo up and gently placed her on top of the bear.

'Just hold on,' she muttered to the fallen Tiefling. 'We'll get help soon. Just hold on.'

* * *

As the group began to move out of Thundertree, they were suddenly called back by Reidoth. His beard was singed and there were multiple holes in his robes, but the man seemed otherwise unharmed.

'Wait! What happened? Where are you going?'

'Neverwinter. We'll be back. Wait here.'

'What about Wave Echo Cave?!'

The bear growled. Mialee shook her head, looking back at him.

'Just… wait here. We'll be back.'

And they kept going, leaving Reidoth behind.

* * *

A grim silence lay over the group as they made their way out of Thundertree. They had taken all the treasure from the dragon hoard with them, but no celebrations were had. Nobody said anything. Nobody knew of anything to say. Nobody looked at the middle of the group, where Echo was carefully draped over the bear's back. Now that her wounds had healed, she almost looked like she was asleep.

But she wasn't. And they all knew that. Bringing people back from the dead was attempted sometimes, but rarely succeeded. The Tiefling might not have any chance at all. She might be gone for good. They didn't want to accept that. So nobody looked at her.

Which is why it took everyone several seconds to connect the dots when they heard a familiar voice call out.

'…Where are we going?'

Nala stopped walking, a frown appearing on her gold-scaled face. It couldn't be. She turned around and looked at the bear.

It was. Echo had pushed herself up a little from Yorda's soft fur, glancing up at the group with slightly quivering arms.

She was looking at them.

She was alive.

Yorda's bear-form immediately shifted and faded away, switching back into her normal form. And sending both of them crashing to the ground. Again. Echo ended up on top of the half-elf, squeezing all the air from her lungs.

'Owww…' the Tiefling groaned. 'A little warning next time, please!'

'Sorry. Ow.'

'Wha- you're- how can you-' Nala stuttered, struggling to make words. Alatar and Mialee were stunned, as well. Their mouths were open and they were looking at the Tiefling as if her speaking had come as a bolt from the blue. Which it had, actually. She'd been dead just a couple of minutes ago.

Echo didn't seem to be aware of that. She sat up, rubbing the back of her head with a painful expression on her face. Then she frowned.

'So what's going on?'

'You tell us!' Alatar replied, dumbfounded. 'What the hell just happened? What did you do?'

'Do you think I would ask what's going on if I knew?' Echo replied, annoyed. She didn't seem aware of the situation at all.

'No, he means- you were- how are you even-,' Nala stuttered again, then settled on a question.

'How do you feel?'

'Like we got our fucking asses kicked by a green dragon,' the Tiefling growled.

'…Yes. What else do you remember, Echo?'

'Not much. I must have blacked out. Now can someone tell me what the fuck you were carrying me around for?'

'We were going to Neverwinter,' Mialee replied. 'We told Reidoth we'd be back later. We needed to find a cleric that could… well…'

'Horned lady is talking again,' Droop said, staring at her wide-eyed.

'Yeah. I guess we no longer need to,' Alatar spoke. Nala just shook her head, still dumbfounded.

'What do you mean, we no longer need to go to Neverwinter? Let's go. I for one am done with this town.'

The Tiefling got up, dusting the dirt off her pants. She seemed slightly pissed off by something.

'And fighting. I'm done with that, too,' she continued. 'We've been fighting things for weeks now. I say we've earned an evening off. Right now. So we're going to fucking Neverwinter.'

To illustrate her point, the Tiefling took off marching towards the town in the far distance. The rest of the group was too stunned to protest. They wouldn't have known what to say anyway – Echo had a point. So they followed, glancing at Echo's very living body the entire time.

What the hell had just happened?

* * *

Dusk had just started to sink in when the group made it to Neverwinter. After asking around for a bit, and Echo throwing a little more money around than what the rest of the group was used to, they found a place to stay in the form of the Trouncing Pony Inn. It was a lovely building, with large, bright windows and a wooden roof that just radiated homeliness. It sharply contrasted with the rest of the block, actually. To the point of it almost being weird. A little porch led to a set of large, oak doors. Echo didn't waste any time and barged right in, yelling as she entered:

'Steward! I'll take the very best room that you have!'

Yorda, Mialee, Nala and Alatar entered after her. They were immediately hit with the realization that this was not your standard inn. Warm light from a lit fireplace illuminated a very cozy… salon, almost. There were comfortable looking chairs, little tables and even a bookcase near one of the corners, stacked with what looked like high-quality novels of all kinds. Numerous fancy-looking bottles were stacked up behind a well-polished wooden bar.

But what stood out the most was the innkeeper. It was a human with ash-blonde hair, but from the looks of him, you'd suspect that there had been a goliath in his family at some point. It was a bulk of a man, with a squarely shaped head and an ash-blond, fabulously thick moustache that could best be described as a handlebar chiseled around his lips. He was wearing a high-class steward outfit, but had put a pink apron over it with a giant heart embroidered in the middle. The contrast was so sharp that it was shocking.

'Darling, with that enthusiasm I'll give you any room you want,' he said, with a broad smile on his face. 'Welcome to the Trouncing Pony Inn. My name is Butch.'

'You have a fabulous place here, Butch,' Echo grinned back, earning her a very feminine-sounding chuckle from Butch.

'Why, thank you, darling. I try. And you all look like you can do with some serious pampering, sweethearts.'

'Now that's more like it!' Echo smiled. 'Your best room, please. Oh, and make it a double.'

'For you, dear, I'll prepare our very best suite room,' Butch winked at Echo. He was a bulk of a man, but his movements were so elegant and graceful that you immediately got used to it after the first moment of shock. He was, in the purest sense of the word, fabulous.

'I'll have one of those as well,' Alatar said, walking up to the counter. Butch took a long look at him, and his smile turned into a suggestive smirk.

'Of course, darling. _A-ny-thing_ for you.'

He reached under the counter, pulling out two golden room keys. They were adorned with little flowers, on closer inspection.

'That will be two gold a room, dears.'

That was a lot of money, even for upper-society standards. Nala seemed to realize, that, too.

'E-Echo,' she stuttered, coming up behind the Tiefling. 'T-that's a bit expensive, maybe we shouldn't-'

But the Tiefling had already slammed the gold for her room on the counter. Butch flashed her a dazzling white smile and handed her the key.

'Perfect,' Echo nodded. 'Do you know a place around here where we can go for some high-class dining? Some _real_ high-class dining, if you catch my drift.'

'I like the way you think, little lady,' Butch winked. Which was ironic, because Echo was almost six feet tall. But Butch still towered over her. Which made Mialee and Yorda come up to about his waist.

'There's a very fine establishment a few blocks away from here. I'll give you directions, darling. I promise you, it will not disappoint.'

'Wonderful. Thank you, dear.'

'No, thank _you_.'

Butch quickly scribbled the directions on a paper for her, after which the rest of the group reserved their rooms. Yorda shared the suite room with Echo. Nala and Mialee, both slightly uncomfortable, opted for a normal room instead. When Alatar accepted his room key, Butch once again gave him a very suggestive wink.

'Now you just call for me if you need anything, all right, darling? _Anything_.'

'Yeah. Thanks.'

Alatar stepped away from the man, suddenly just as uncomfortable as Nala and Mialee. He started moving towards the stairs to retire for the night, but Echo cut him off.

'Where do you think you're going?'

'It was a long day. I'm going to rest.'

'Not until we've had a good meal! I've already gotten the directions. Come on. Let's go.'

'I don't need a fancy five-course dinner, thank you,' the wizard grunted. Echo's expression didn't change for even a moment, but the temperature in the room suddenly dropped by ten degrees as she grabbed Alatar by the shoulder.

'Well I didn't need a _fucking_ dragon. What I do need is a fucking _drink_. And you're all coming with me.'

Her spiked tail only missed the nearest table by an inch. The wizard didn't have to be a social genius to get the hint. He begrudgingly gave up on an early night and followed her outside, together with the rest of the group.

* * *

The restaurant that they'd been sent to was even more high-class than the inn had been. The group walked in on a scene that could have come from the interior of some noble's house. Soft, cushioned chairs were fashionably arranged around tables in a clockwise pattern in the artfully decorated dining hall. The floor gleamed from cleaning wax and even the ceiling was decorated. Warm, soft light shone down on the tables from a series of crystal chandeliers. Every table was covered with a spotless white cloth, and had a large floral centerpiece adorning it.

The crowd was vastly different, too. They could see men and women in expensive-looking dinner suits and robes, jewelry adorning their necks and hands. The women all had beautiful decorations weaved into their fancy hairdos. The men wore gleaming rings and pocket watches. And all of them were gawking at the ragtag bunch that had just walked in. They were quite the sight. A muddy elf, a wizard in baggy robes, a Dragonborn in armour that rattled with every move that she made, a half-elf with a dress that seemed to be inches away from just falling apart, and a Tiefling.

Said Tiefling didn't seem to care. She walked right over to the nearest waiter.

'Your finest table, please. Pronto.'

If the waiter was surprised, he didn't show it. The man made an elegant bow and gestured to the side.

'Of course, milady. This way, please.'

He proceeded to guide the group through the establishment. Most people had been so engrossed with the Tiefling and the Dragonborn that they hadn't even noticed Droop yet. When they did, a few women let out audible little screams. Both Nala and Yorda glared at them in response. Eventually, the group stopped at a large, luxuriously made dinner table.

'Echo, I don't know if this is such a good idea.'

'Nonsense,' Echo replied to the elf. 'We just drove off a dragon and cleared a whole town of undead. And we purged a cave and an entire stronghold before that. We deserve a fucking _celebration_.'

And she plopped down in the nearest seat. Yorda did the same, and the rest of the group followed suit, some a bit begrudgingly. Nala had to shift in her seat a bit: the chairs weren't designed with someone of her size in mind. It looked like she was squeezing into a child's chair.

'All right, everyone. Order whatever you like. The meal's on me,' Echo smiled at the rest. Nala and Mialee looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

'Are you sure? This place doesn't seem very… affordable.'

'Yes, I'm sure! Waiter, I'll have a bottle of your most expensive wine, if you please. We're celebrating.'

The waiter, a slick-looking human with ash blonde hair, bowed immediately.

'Very well. If I may, I would recommend the Chateau Margaux with a debut course of sautéed white alba truffles.'

'That sounds wonderful. We'll have that.'

The Tiefling leaned back in her chair, looking around the table with a satisfied expression on her face. Her tail was swishing back and forth rapidly. The others weren't as exited. Especially Nala and Mialee seemed uncomfortable, as they were not used to fine dining. The eyes of everyone else in the room were still glued to their backs, as well. They had definitely turned into an attraction. Nala and Mialee both tried to slump back in their seats a little to divert attention, the Dragonborn miserably failing at the attempt. Alatar ignored the stares, and Yorda was looking back at the crowd with great interest.

Before too long, their table was loaded up with exotic dishes. It smelled amazing, and tasted absolutely delicious, as well. Echo, Alatar and Droop gorged themselves, and after a bit of hesitation, the others did as well. Especially the Tiefling seemed to be having a good time. Waiters had to walk in a wide arch around her chair in fear of being pierced by the spikes on her tail. After the third serving of Lobster Frittata, the Tiefling let out a content sigh.

'Aaaaah. It's good to be alive!'

* * *

That night, the group had made their way back to the Trouncing Pony Inn. Alatar had marched upstairs for privacy, leaving Nala, Mialee, Echo and Yorda to drink in the parlor. And drink they did. Before too long, Echo and Mialee were drunk again. Yorda would have been too, if not for Nala purposely maneuvering the alcohol away from the half-elf. The conversation took a turn for the weird, and before long Mialee and Echo had convinced each other that it would be a good idea to stagger up the stairs and break into Alatar's room.

'Isshe alright, I'm very _*hic*_ stealthy,' Mialee slurred as they stumbled down the hallway. 'Do you know where Ala's room ish?'

'He took a suite. So it should be right next to our room.'

'Whish ish?'

'That one,' Echo replied, pointing at one of the more fancy doors midway the hall. Mialee went for it immediately. She grabbed the handle and pulled. Locked.

'Can you _*hic*_ pick the lock?'

'Now why would you assume that I know how to do something like that?' Echo replied. But she was already digging around in her pockets, and the next second she pulled out a slightly rusted set of lockpicks. The Tiefling crouched down in front of the lock, gazing inside. Her expression fell.

'He left the key in. I can't pick the lock like that.'

'Aww, that's no fun,' the brown-haired elf pouted. Then the idea of breaking in seemed to go out the window. She placed her hands beside her mouth and yelled:

'Hey! ALATAR! Open up!'

There was no response. Echo chuckled, then decided to do the same.

'Hey, Mr. Grumpy wizard! HEL-LO!'

Still no response. From his door, at least. By now, however, other doors had opened. Angry people's faces were poking out, yelling back at the Tiefling and the elf.

'Quiet down over there! We're trying to sleep!'

'Well I'M not trying to sleep!' Echo bellowed back. 'I'M trying to open the DOOR! ALATAR! HELLO!'

This went on for a couple more seconds, before Nala, Yorda and Droop came into vision. The Dragonborn grabbed Mialee by her arm, guiding her away from the door.

'Yes, we'll see Alatar in the morning. It's time to go to sleep now. Come on, Mialee.'

'Partypooper,' the Tiefling replied. When Yorda approached her to do the same, though, Echo begrudgingly went with her. The small half-elf guided her to the other suite, unlocking the door for them and letting her in.

Turns out it wasn't just a suite.

It was a honeymoon suite.

The room was enormous, with tasteful shades of brown and gold adorning the floor and walls. There was a soft carpet in the middle of the room, and a comfortable-looking sitting area was perched in front of a luxurious fireplace. The place even had a separate bathing area, and glass bowls with delicious looking fruit in them. But the thing that stood out the most was the bed. The thing had bright red covers to match the curtains, and was very obviously heart-shaped. It also looked very, very comfy. Echo and Droop immediately made a beeline for it, racing to get on the bed first.

'Droop share room, so share bed!' the goblin yelled as he wrestled a pillow out of Echo's grasp.

'You can sleep on the carpet! You're used to that, anyway!'

'Droop equal now, and sleep on the bed!'

He gave a kick against the pillow, with enough force to send Echo sprawling off the other end. For a second, he seemed stunned by his own strength. Then a victorious smile spread on his face.

'There! This bed now belong to-'

FLOOFF! A pillow hit him square in the chest, knocking him off the sheets and on the ground as well as Echo reclaimed her spot.

'That'll teach you,' she laughed at him. 'Come on, Yorda, claim a spot or sleep on the floor!'

Yorda wasn't making any attempt to join in. She'd closed and locked the door behind them. Now she was just staring at Echo, not moving an inch as she scanned the Tiefling with that piercing gaze of hers.

'Your eyes will pop out if you keep that up,' Echo tried to joke. There was no reaction. The pale half-elf just stared at her, head slightly cocked to the right. Almost as if she was looking right through her.

'Echo-'

'You know what, I'm going to take a bath!' she said, flying off the bed and into the other section of the suite. 'The left side's mine. Fight the other side out with the two of you.'

And she was out of sight. Yorda glanced back at Droop, who just shrugged.

'She weird.'

* * *

 **Echo**

* * *

Even the bath was king-sized. Echo played around with the different bath soaps and perfumes for a while, before stepping into the steaming water for a good soak. As she lowered herself into the bath, her chipper behavior vanished. The Tiefling closed her eyes and leaned backwards, letting the warmth massage her tense muscles.

She was exhausted.

'Fucking dragon,' she mumbled softly. 'Fucking undead. Fucking cave mission.'

Echo could hear footsteps from the other side of the room, moving towards the window. That was probably Yorda. She sighed again, beginning to wash the dirt from the past few days off her body.

As she did, Echo suddenly noticed something weird. The skin on her right side felt rough. That was new. The Tiefling sat back up, pushing some of the foam off of the water's surface with her arm as she looked down. Her eyes narrowed. There was something there. Echo immediately rose up from the water, climbed out of the bath and walked towards the nearest bathroom mirror. Her eyes hadn't deceived her. There, inches above the right side of her hip, was a pale green spot.

'What the fuck?'

That definitely had not been there before. Echo frowned as she let her fingers pass over the mark. Although it didn't hurt, it felt very uncomfortable to touch. It wasn't sticking out or anything, it was just… there. If anything, it seemed to even be slightly sunk in compared to the rest of the skin.

What the fuck was that?

'Echo? Are you all right?'

That was Yorda's voice. She must have heard her cursing under her breath. That one just loved to pry. Well, she'd have to face the consequences of that. Echo struck a seductive pose as the little half-elf came in, revealing herself in her full Tiefling glory.

'Come to join me, have you?'

Echo was an attractive person, and she knew it. The dark-haired warlock had grown accustomed to using her femininity as a weapon. But her figure went completely ignored this time. Yorda's eyes almost immediately focused on the green spot on her hip.

'What is that?'

'I have no idea,' Echo replied, going back to being serious. 'That's what I've been trying to find out. I didn't have this yesterday.'

Yorda put her hands on the mark, not at all bothered by Echo's naked form. She frowned.

'Is this from that dragon?'

'I don't know. I didn't have it before we fought him.'

'Does it hurt?'

'No. I don't feel it at all.'

Yorda muttered something under her breath, and suddenly her hands started to glow. Echo could feel an pleasant warmth spread from her hip throughout the rest of her body… and then fade. When Yorda pulled her hands back, the green spot was still there. Whatever she'd done, it hadn't worked. Yorda's frown deepened.

'That's weird. Hold on. Let me try a few things.'

She muttered something under her breath again, this time not touching Echo. The Tiefling felt the same sensation as before, but that too passed without any effect. The pale half-elf did not seem to like that. She placed her hands on the Tiefling a second time, this time summoning a bright green light that seeped into Echo's body.

'I should decide on a fee if you're going to keep touching me like this,' the Tiefling smirked. The next second Yorda dug her nails into her side, sending a flash of intense heat searing through her. Echo let out a surprised yelp.

'HEY! Watch it!'

The heat faded. And the spot was still there.

'I don't understand,' Yorda mumbled. 'That should have worked.'

'You can't get rid of it?' Echo replied. Now she was starting to get worried. Yorda was able to heal almost anything. And if she couldn't get rid of it… then what the hell was this?

'Maybe… maybe it's just the aftermath from that fight with Venomwang,' Echo suggested. 'Maybe it just needs to heal, you know?'

Yorda remained quiet for a second. Then a slight smirk appeared on her lips.

'Venomwang?'

'Well, yeah. A piece of shit dragon deserves a piece of shit name.'

Yorda chuckled.

'All right. We'll give it time.'

She left Echo to finish her bath, who watched her leave with a mixture of amusement and interest. She enjoyed the rest of her time in that bathtub. It was bigger than most of the things she was used to. That was one of the advantages, Echo pondered as she finally climbed out. The fighting was a pain and the company was not what she was used to, but the rewards were good. Very good, even. Good enough to be able to afford suite rooms and fancy dining. She could get used to this.

Even the company. Maybe it wouldn't be such a terrible thing to get used to.

In the end, the bed was big enough for all three of them, after all.


	18. Chapter 5,2 - Wave Echo Cave, part 1

**5.2 – Wave Echo Cave, part 1**

* * *

The next morning, the group made their way back to Thundertree to get Reidoth. The old druid was astounded to see Echo's sudden recovery. Like the rest of the group, he'd never seen someone suddenly rise from the dead on their own before. It was a mystery for everyone. Nevertheless, Reidoth kept up his side of the deal. After a brief moment of grabbing his things, he left Thundertree with the group. The old druid guided them through the Neverwinter woods and back on the road towards Phandalin.

After a few days of travel, the group arrived at the Sword Mountains. A wild and hostile environment, those peaks were a trial for anyone who tried to pass through. Travelers got lost. Pilgrims disappeared and were never heard of again. Caravans were assaulted in the dead of night by the numerous beasts that called the Sword Mountains their home. It was a dangerous place. Reidoth, being connected to the land as a druid, guided the group through the mountains without encountering any problems. Until finally, they reached their destination.

Wave Echo Cave.

The entrance was small, nothing more than a little crevasse in a cliffside. It was easy to overlook. Most of the group didn't even see it, until Reidoth pointed it out.

'There. The entrance.'

'I doesn't look like anything,' Echo said, her head cocked to the right.

'Do not be fooled. That crevasse leads to an abandoned dwarven mine that spans the entirety of this mountain. It is an incredibly dangerous place.'

'Does it go deep?' Yorda asked, biting her lower lip. 'Very deep?'

'Deep enough to go on for days. Deep enough to get lost and never find the exit again.'

She really didn't seem to like that answer. Reidoth placed his staff on the ground, leaning on it heavily with both hands as he let out a sigh.

'This is as far as I can take you. Let me warn all of you again. There are creatures in those caverns that are far more dangerous than the twig blights and zombies you've been fighting so far.'

'More dangerous than a fucking dragon?' Echo said, the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

'I do not know,' the old druid said. 'I never go in. I only make sure that nothing comes out. And that is difficult enough already.'

Nala and Mialee shot each other a nervous look. They didn't like the sound of that. After a few moments of silence, the Dragonborn shrugged. "Can't be helped", her gesture said. And she was right. Tharden and Nundro were in there somewhere – and so was that Black Spider. And the drow who had murdered Gundrin could probably be found in those caves, too. One way or another, they had to go in there and finish this.

'I will be hoping for your safe return,' Reidoth said to them. 'Please make sure that you are absolutely ready before going in.'

And he turned around and walked away from them, into the surrounding thicket. Within moments, Reidoth was out of sight.

'The old geezer's right,' Echo said. 'I for one don't feel like getting our asses kicked again. Let's make sure we're ready before we go in.'

'Droop, you might want to wait out here,' Nala said to the goblin, who had been trying to peek inside the crevasse. When he heard that, Droop turned around with a big frown on his face.

'Droop coming. Is plan like with dragon, yes? You all keep Droop safe, and Droop heal you with berries from weird elf. Droop not wait out here alone. Will get Droop killed.'

'He has a point,' Alatar replied, shrugging. 'He'll definitely die out here. He'll probably die in there, too, mind you- but he'll _definitely_ die out here.'

'I get the gist of it, thank you,' Nala growled back at him. The Dragonborn and the wizard still weren't on good footing, and it showed.

'Does anyone still have preparations to make before we go in?'

The rest of the groups shook their heads. They were ready to go. Even Droop. The little goblin had received another batch of goodberries from Yorda in advance. The idea was that he'd hold on to them until they were needed – but in typical Droop-fashion, a quarter of them were in his mouth and stomach already.

'All right, then. Be careful, everyone. We're going in.'

* * *

As the group descended into the cave, they quickly came to realize that the old druid had been right. This was no ordinary cave. This was nothing like that bugbear's lair, or even the ruined remains of Cragmaw Castle. This place was massive. Cold stone tunnels stretched out before them, leading the group deeper and deeper underground as all light from the outside slowly disappeared. Nala had to rely on a torch to see where she was going at all. The flames cast creepy, moving shadows everywhere.

'Wait,' Mialee suddenly said, coming to a halt at the front of the group. 'Do you guys hear that?'

They strained their ears to listen for what Mialee's elven ears had already picked up on. It took them a few seconds, but then they started to hear it too. The sound was subtle, but definitely there. Every few seconds, they could hear a gentle sloshing of water, paired with a very soft rustling of wind. It almost sounded like…

'Waves,' Alatar mumbled, voicing everyone's thoughts.

'How is that possible? We're underground.'

The wizard just shrugged. He didn't know, either. But everyone now understood exactly where Wave Echo Cave got its name from.

* * *

They continued, going deeper and deeper underground until the passage opened up into a large cavern. The ceiling, twenty feet above them, was supported by a natural rock pillar held up by three massive stalagmites. It was incredibly dark, to the point that even the people with natural darkvision had trouble looking any further than a few feet. They spread out, with Nala, Echo and Alatar taking the west side of the cave as Mialee, Droop and Yorda moved east.

'There's something there,' the wizard mumbled, as he peeked out from behind Nala's massive form. Alatar was right. There, at the eastern end of the cavern, they could see vague shapes resembling a campsite. They approached the site slowly, weapons drawn and raised. They could see three bedrolls near the remains of a campfire. The rolls were dusty, and bits of rubble had fallen on them. These hadn't been used in quite some time. Stacked around the bedrolls was a heap of supplies: sacks of flour, crates with what looked like heaps of salted meat in them, barrels filled with water.

And there was one other thing, which made the Dragonborn's breath escape her lungs in a soft hiss. Amidst the bedrolls was the body of a dwarf. The still, unmoving body of a dwarf. He was lying face-down. They could just barely make out rough brown hair and a bushy beard. Judging from the description that Sildar had given them, this was Tharden Rockseeker.

Nala immediately approached the body, reaching out to place a finger on his throat. But she stopped the action halfway. There was no need to check for a pulse. Because the body of the dwarf in front of them had already started to decompose.

'A stab wound,' Echo spoke, nodding at the dark spot on the side of his neck. 'He was killed. Judging from the state he's in, I'd say he's been dead for at least a week already.'

A week ago, the group had been in Cragmaw Castle, trying to rescue Gundrin. They'd lost him to a blade to the throat, as well. There was a twisted kind of irony to it, almost to the point of it being poetic. Nala bowed her head, sending a quick prayer to Bahamut to pay the dwarf her respects. As she did, Alatar approached Tharden's corpse as well. It looked as if he was checking the body for more wounds – but then he suddenly grabbed hold of Tharden's boots and pulled.

'Wha- what the hell do you think you're doing?!' the Dragonborn hissed.

'The man's dead. He won't need these anymore, and mine have a hole in them.'

With a soft _pop_ , the boots came off. Nala watched in stunned anger as the wizard kicked off his own boots and proceeded to put on the other pair.

'Dwarves have much bigger feet. There's no way you'll fit them-' Echo began to say, but her comment was cut short as the boots seemed to magically mold themselves around Alatar's feet. The wizard stood back up with a satisfied expression on his face.

'See? A waste to leave behind.'

And he walked away. The others followed him, both peeved, although for different reasons.

On the other side, Mialee and Yorda had spotted a rope going down into a rather large mining pit. The group proceeded to move down into the pit, finding another passageway. They took a left, then a right. They found a series of connecting tunnels, carved out of the mountain rock.

And as they slowly moved deeper and deeper underground, the six of them lost all track of time. If not for Mialee and her keen sense of direction, they would have gotten hopelessly lost in the complex maze of dwarven-made corridors. They encountered more zombies and a handful of ghouls, undead monsters that paralyzed all they touched. Alatar's corpse-stolen boots turned out to be magical, further pissing off Echo. They fought a group of stirges that pounced on an unsuspecting Mialee as she went to scout ahead, the elf barely making it out alive. A gelatinous cube snuck up on the group as they fought a horde of skeletons. They made their way across a room full of poisonous fungi, narrowly escaping their harmful spores. It was as Reidoth had said – an incredibly dangerous place.

Finally, after recovering from the poisonous spores, the group found themselves in the heart of the Lost Mines of Phandelver. Ever since descending the rope in the first cavern, they'd come across the occasional dwarf or orc skeleton. As they came closer to the middle of the mines, the number of skeletons gradually increased. It wasn't just orcs and dwarves, too. The group saw humans, elves, creepy mutant-like creatures with horns and even an owlbear skeleton, the bones about to crumble to dust. They had all been perfectly preserved in the forgotten mines. The mountain had turned into one gigantic tomb because of it.

'Sildar told us about this,' Echo muttered, looking down on the skeletons as they walked past. 'The orcs invaded after learning that the humans and dwarves found something really powerful in here, right? And then they all slaughtered each other over it. But I didn't know that it was _this_ bad.'

'This is what orcs do,' Mialee growled. 'They're savage, violent, evil monsters that take whatever they can and kill anyone that stands in their way.'

She kicked one of the orc skulls. The skull rolled across the floor, coming to a halt near Yorda and Alatar's feet. The white half-elf picked up the skull, looking down on the remains with a slight frown on her face.

'Yorda, put that down. You don't know where it's been.'

'Something seems weird,' the half-elf mumbled, ignoring Echo. 'If it was a natural resource, they could have just shared it with everyone.'

'You can't "share" with orcs, Yorda,' Mialee snapped. 'They're savages who try to take everything for themselves.'

'Still. Something seems… weird. Even if the orcs were trying to take this place, that battle would have ended with some kind of victor to claim the cave. But look around. They're _all_ dead. All of them.'

She dropped the skull, rolling it back towards the pile of skeletons next to them. By now, it was just another pile. They'd seen _hundreds_ of skeletons over the last few hours. Some with weapons next to them, as if they'd been mid-battle. Some that were still sitting at a dinner table, plates and cutlery in front of them. As if they had suddenly just… died. Without warning. Just like that. Those were the weird ones. The ones that made no sense.

'I don't think orcs can do all this,' Yorda muttered again, looking around her. Alatar nodded, kicking at one of the bones as well.

'You're probably right. Some of them looked like they were killed instantly. Might have been done by magic. Something very powerful, and very deadly. It probably killed the mages who cast the spells, too… and everyone around them.'

The piles of skeletons in the cave suddenly got a new layer of dread to them. Something that could kill this many people that fast was, without a doubt, bad news.

'Well, it was hundreds of years ago,' Echo finally huffed. 'Whatever it was, it's not around anymore. Come on. Let's move. This place is giving me the creeps.'

They went deeper into the cavern, going up a set of stone stairs that led to a few old, weathered buildings. As everything else in these mines, the buildings, too, were made out of stone. One of the three had completely collapsed into rubble, but the other two were vaguely intact. They spotted a wooden, rotten front door to the larger of the two buildings.

'Wait a minute. They all died, and then the cave was lost to history, right?'

'Right.'

'Well, if that's the case, then there's got to be some leftover treasure,' Mialee said as she moved ahead of the group. The brown-haired elf grabbed hold of the door, pushing it open to reveal the inside. It was in a bad state. Dust and ash were draped all over the place. The walls were blackened by fire, and heaps of debris beneath a sagged ceiling gave the impression that the room was hit by a very powerful blast of… something. The place looked like it should have already caved in decades ago. The tables, chairs and even the bookshelves lining the walls were all charred and splintered, too. Mialee ignored the obvious signs of destruction and instead focused on the far corner of the room – a cracked bed, with a solid iron chest in front of it. She dashed for it immediately.

As soon as she did, a threatening, almost otherworldly sounding voice suddenly rang out from beyond the cliff.

' _Intruderrrrr…'_

Nobody outside of the building heard anything. They merely looked on curiously as they saw Mialee suddenly freeze mid-step. Her eyes darted around the room, back to the chest – and grew large with shock as she saw a sickly green smoke start to rise up from the floor.

' _How dare you. My treasures are mine alone, not yours to plunder. Your presence is offensive to me, and your life forfeit!'_

From the dark ground, a skull rose up. A few teeth were missing and the grey bone was surrounded by a swirling green mist, slowly filling up the entire room. Its eye sockets were filled with a malefic reddish light. The skull looked down on Mialee as it slowly floated above the elf, closing in on her.

Mialee was still frozen. Her eyes were wide with shock. The next second, she seemed to get control back over her legs.

'S-sorry!' she squeaked. And bolted. She didn't even look where she was going. Mialee took off like an arrow from a bow, blasting out of the room and back outside, where she slammed straight into Nala's massive form. Straight into her stomach, actually. The Dragonborn gasped as all the air was squeezed out of her lungs, only keeping her balance at the last second.

'Wh- wh- what?!' Nala finally wheezed.

'Skull. In the room. Flying.'

The rest of the group looked up. The floating skull had drifted down to the front door, eyeing them one by one as the green mist started swirling outside.

' _Vile thieves. Are you here to take what is not yours?'_

They all had the exact same reaction that Mialee did. Everyone froze, momentarily shocked into silence. Then Echo regained a hold of herself.

'Nope, not us!' the Tiefling squeaked, her tail stiff with sudden fear. 'Never! _Goodbye now!_ ''

They grabbed Mialee, who was still wobbly on her feet, and slowly walked back and away from the building. As they did, the skull went back inside. It didn't pursue them. The door closed on its own, slamming into the hinges.

Nothing else happened.

The group let out a sigh of relief.

'Really, Mialee?!' Nala snapped at the elf. 'Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?'

'Sorry. I didn't think there'd be something like that in there.'

'Let's just agree to never do that again,' Echo replied. 'Ever.'

'Yeah. Don't be stupid, elf.'

'Says the guy who thought that taunting a dragon was a good idea!'

'At least I'm not painting a target on my face by running three rooms ahead of everyone else!'

'Both of you, shut the fuck up!' Echo hissed at them. 'Or do you want to fight another group of undead? Shout a little louder, and we'll have the entire cavern on our asses!'

Tensions were running high. It was only natural – they had been fighting monsters and undead horrors all day. If it even still was daytime. As far underground as they were, nobody could tell.

'Let's just- let's just find a safe place to hole up in and take a rest,' Nala finally said, rubbing the top of her nose with her fingertips. 'We all need a break.'

Yorda nodded. The pale half-elf had gotten more and more silent the further they traveled underground. She pointed at another stone building, not far from the one that the floating skull had been in.

'Maybe that one.'

'There better not be another fucking skull in there,' Echo replied as they all walked towards the door. This building was bigger than the others. The group spotted two sets of doors: a larger one that seemed to be the main entrance and a smaller door, which was scorched and cracked. Upon closer inspection, the hinges were melted. They were not getting in through there. The group circled around back to the main doors. They too were completely scorched, but stood slightly ajar.

'Be careful this time,' Nala warned Yorda and Mialee, who moved to push the doors open. They nodded. They were aware of the danger this time around. Slowly, the brown-haired elf placed her hand on the wooden door and pushed it open, revealing the content inside.

It looked like… some kind of old workshop. It was just as burnt and badly damaged as the rest of the area, making the group wonder just what had happened here. Worktables taking up two corners of the room were completely scorched, and the plaster had been burned off the masonry walls.

In the middle of the room, something bright and green flickered. Mialee instantly froze, but then realized that it wasn't another skull. A stone pedestal held a small brazier, in which a strange, eerie green flame danced. The pedestal was remarkably intact compared to the rest of the building. So intact that it stood out, in an ominous kind of way.

'What do you think that is?' Mialee whispered, pointing at the green flame. Yorda simply shrugged. She didn't know, either.

As soon as Mialee's voice rang out, though, something behind the pedestal began to move. A green shape came forth from the shadows. It was a weird, spherical creature, roughly the width of Nala's shield. It, too, was floating. Four eyestalks protruded from its central mass, two on each side. In the center of the body was a single, large eye. It was staring straight at Mialee and Yorda. As it did, the two could hear a unnatural, burbling voice resound in their minds.

' _State your purpose here.'_

Mialee let out another squeal, instantly stepping back from the floating creature. By now, the rest of the group had spotted it, as well. Nala instantly raised her weapons in response as Mialee backed away until she was standing beside the Dragonborn. Alatar moved back, as well. Echo let out another curse. She stepped forward to get Yorda, who was still looking up at the creature with uncloaked fascination.

'Who are you?'

' _I am the guardian of this place,'_ the creature replied. This time, they all heard its voice in their heads. It looked all of them over, focusing on each person one by one as it stared at them with its five eyeballs. It was more than a little disturbing. When the creature was done, it repeated its previous sentence.

' _State your purpose here.'_

'Y-you're a guardian, right? What are you guarding?' Echo asked, trying to get a conversation going. Apparently it was the wrong thing to do. The thing didn't have any change in expression, but they could suddenly feel the air around them drop by a few degrees.

' _You are unworthy. Leave this place or have your lives be forfeit.'_

As if to demonstrate his threats, all of the eye stalks suddenly locked in on Echo as the irises changed to a deep red. If the creepy voice in their heads hadn't been enough, that definitely was. Nala, Echo and Mialee backed up even further as the Tiefling stammered:

'S-sorry about that! We're leaving! Good- _bye_!'

'Yorda, get away from there!' Nala hissed at the half-elf, who hadn't moved. She was still looking up at the spherical creature. It changed its gaze to her, locking in on her with its eye stalks. Yorda just pointed at the door.

'Should I close it?'

For a moment, there was a complete silence. Then the red glow vanished, and the floating creature gave a single nod. Yorda grabbed the door handle and pulled, returning it to its former position. The floating eyeball went back inside as she did so. Within a moment, it had vanished from sight again.

Yorda walked back to the group. She barely reached them before Echo grabbed her shoulder, snapping:

'Are you crazy?! Didn't we _just_ agree not to do stupid shit like that again?!'

The half-elf just shrugged.

'It's been a while since we found something down here that didn't immediately try to kill us.'

'What do you mean, didn't try to kill us? It _just_ told us that our lives were forfeit!'

'Oh.'

The normally perceptive half-elf was acting weird. Or at least weirder than normal. But everyone was tired, and in need of a rest. After some more bickering, the group decided that they wouldn't try any other buildings, in case there'd be more floating _things_ in there. They left the large cavern behind, moving further in to find a safe spot.

* * *

Eventually, the group stumbled upon another cavernous area in the back of the mines. It was almost perfectly oval-shaped, and a still pool filled up much of the cave's space. A sluggish stream flowed out of the cave to the northeast, where it vanished from sight. There was a passage next to the stream, with a set of stairs climbing up. It led out of the cavern and onward to unknown territory.

The group came in from the south, raising their eyebrows when they saw the large pool.

'Is this where the waves are coming from?'

'Of course not. It's still water. This must be something else.'

They cautiously approached the pool. The shoreline was riddled with pale, broken pieces of shell, and a fishy odor hung in the air. It was not pleasant.

'We could take a break here,' Mialee suggested. Yorda and Echo both wrinkled their nose at the smell.

'With the scent of dead fish hanging all around us? No, thank you. I'll end up vomiting if we stay here for too long.'

'There's an exit over there. Let's keep going.'

As they moved along the shoreline, Alatar raised his hand in the air and mumbled something under his breath. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then a spark of energy flashed between his fingertips, briefly illuminating his face. He immediately halted in his tracks.

'There's traces of magic here.'

'There's probably traces of magic everywhere,' Echo replied, in an annoyed voice. 'Come on.'

But the wizard didn't listen to her. As he held his hand raised, Alatar slowly moved towards the edge of the water. The spark between his fingers slowly got stronger as he approached the dark, still lake. A frown appeared on his face. For a split second, the wizard seemed to be in doubt. Then the spark disappeared. Alatar took a deep breath – and dove into the water.

'Wha?!' Echo and Nala yelled out at the same time. The wizard did not come back up. Everyone ran towards the edge of the water, searching below the surface for his form. He was nowhere to be seen. The water was a swirling, black mass, hostile and completely impossible to see through.

'Is he out of his mind?!' Nala yelled. 'We have no idea what's down there!'

The brown-haired elf shrugged. She was standing next to Yorda, who was looking down into the water.

'He could get stuck down there and drown. Should we go after him?'

She made a move to leap into the water, as well, but Echo grabbed her by the shoulder to stop her.

'Hold on! No, we don't! If he wants to be a moron, then he can risk his own damn neck!'

Yorda frowned, looking back at the water. A single air bubble rose up from the depths, popping at the surface. Still no sign of Alatar.

'I'll wait one minute. Then I'm going in after him.'

At the bottom of the pond, the dark silhouette of a cloaked wizard slowly came into view. Alatar had swam his way down, letting his robes drag him to the murky depths as the wizard looked around the bottom. His Detect Magic spell was still giving off strong responses in this direction.

As he sunk lower, Alatar noticed something white lying at the very bottom of the dark pond. Closer inspection revealed it to be another skeleton. This one was lying on its back, clutching something in his bony fingers. Some kind of small staff. It almost looked like he had preferred to drown over giving it up, which is exactly what had happened.

The wizard's frown turned into a smirk as he reached for the skeleton's chest. He grabbed on to the small staff and yanked. The skeletal hand resisted, but then snapped with a sudden _crack_ as the staff came loose. Alatar quickly snatched it away from the skeleton. He kicked with his legs to move backwards, away from the thing. Waiting for some kind of magical reaction. But nothing happened. The skeleton remained where it was, motionless. Now with half a hand.

Alatar's smirk widened. He tucked the staff in his robes and began swimming up, towards the surface.

Back above water, the group watched with growing feelings of concern as a full minute went by and nothing happened. Then another bubble broke the surface, causing a small ripple to appear. Still no sign of Alatar.

'That's it. I'm going in after him.'

Right as Yorda made a move to dive in the dark water as well, a shape suddenly broke the surface. Water was splashed everywhere. Something that looked like a green seamonster rose out of the pond – but it was just Alatar, with algae scattered across his robes. He was completely soaked. And stinky. And shivering. But a victorious smile played on his lips.

'What the hell, man?' Echo said to him, as he waved his arm around to magically dry himself.

'There were traces of magic down there.'

'So what?' Nala responded angrily. 'You could have found Bahamut-knows-what down there! What if you got attacked?'

'Don't get your breeches in a twist, paladin. That was at my own risk. And I _did_ find something.'

With gleaming eyes, Alatar fished the little staff back out of his robes. Nala and Mialee took one look at it, and both raised an eyebrow at exactly the same time.

'A stick. You risked your life for a stick.'

'This isn't just any stick. Not that I'd expect _you_ to know.'

'So you risked your life over a magic stick. Glad to hear that you're thinking of everyone's chances of survival in the long run,' Echo snapped back at him. Her jab went ignored. Alatar held the staff in the air, looking at it from all angles. He mumbled an incantation under his breath. The staff let out a soft spark of energy. As it did, Yorda approached the wizard. She, too, was looking at the magic item with interest.

'Can I see it?'

She stretched out her hand. Immediately, Alatar yanked the staff away and out of her reach.

'No.'

A frown appeared on her face.

'Why not?'

'I- you wouldn't know how to handle it,' Alatar quickly said. 'I don't know what you'll do with it. You'll end up breaking it, or something.'

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say. As the wizard tucked the magic staff away in his robes, a look of hurt and rejection appeared in Yorda's eyes. The next second, that expression vanished. The pale half-elf abruptly turned around, marching towards the cavern's exit.

'Hey- where are you going?'

'Out,' Yorda replied to him, not bothering to look back.

'I'm coming with you. I've had enough of this fucking cave.'

'Good luck with your stick, wizard.'

That last word was said with clear malice. His dismissal of Yorda seemed to have hit a raw nerve with the group. Nala and Echo walked away after Yorda. Mialee and Droop followed suit, leaving Alatar behind near the edge of the water. The wizard watched them go. A confused frown was on his face.

Then he realized that he was about to be left alone in the cavern. Alatar quickly dried the rest of his robes and took off after them. He caught up right before they ascended the stone stairs. His arrival went ignored. They stubbornly climbed the stairs and went into the next room.

In hindsight, they should have paid more attention. Scouted out their surroundings before marching in. But the constant sense of danger, annoyances between party members and a settling sense of exhaustion had made the group reckless. They didn't scout. They didn't pay attention.

Perhaps if they had, things would have turned out different.

A blast furnace and a mechanical bellow dominated the chamber, powered by a large waterwheel behind the construction. The furnace was cold and dark. Heaps of coal were piled up against the nearest wall, along with a few rusty old mine carts. The channel underneath the waterwheel was dry. It looked like an ancient version of a dwarvish smelter cavern.

And there were more than a dozen corpses scattered around the room. They were covered in dust and sut, and so the group had overlooked them when they walked in. But there was one thing that they couldn't overlook.

Floating above the furnace, engulfed in hellish green flames, was another skull.

Mialee, who had moved to the head of the group, noticed it first. At the same time that she froze, the flameskull let out a horrible screech. The eye sockets burned with a malefic red light – and as the group walked in, the skull's flames warped into a giant ball of green fire.

They never had time to react. The skull hurled the fireball at them. It hit its mark, exploding right in the middle of the group.

It was brutal. The ground underneath their feet was blasted away with them. Everyone was instantly blinded by the infernal flames, and blasted off their feet by the sheer force of the attack. Nala and Echo were flung against the walls of the cavern. Alatar was blasted right back out, splashing into the pond's waters a second time. Mialee and Yorda were pushed back from the sheer force of the blast, only shielded from the brunt of the attack because of Nala's massive form.

And a tiny body hit the floor.


	19. Chapter 5,3 - Wave Echo Cave, part 2

**5.3 – Wave Echo Cave, part 2**

* * *

 _The group was ambushed by the floating skull in that chamber. To add to the danger, there was a group of ten skeletons in that very same room as well, and they all charged at once. The group managed to defend themselves, eventually dealing with their foes and tearing the floating skull to pieces._

 _The damage, however, had already been done._

* * *

As the rest of the group caught their breath, Yorda slowly made her way over to Droop. His remains were lying in the corner of the room, pushed out of harm's way by Yorda's massive bear claw. It was a pitiful sight. The goblin's body had been charred almost beyond recognition. His clothes were burned. The claw on his side had been reduced to nothing but ashes. The only thing that was unscathed was the Bag of Folding on his hip.

The small half-elf scooped his charred body up into her arms. He was surprisingly light. Holding him, she moved back to the rest of the group.

'They… can help him, right?' she muttered, looking at Alatar and Nala. 'Like how they were going to help Echo. They can bring him back, right?'

The wizard and the paladin both avoided eye contact with her. Nala shook her head, gazing down on the little goblin.

'No. Not… I'm afraid they won't help him.'

'Why not?'

'Because people are prejudiced assholes,' Echo replied from the back of the group. 'He's a goblin, and people look down on goblins. They hate them. Everyone does. They won't waste time and money on something that they see as inferior to themselves.'

She was right. Adventurers being brought back from the dead was, on its own, already a rare and expensive miracle. Doing that for a goblin was practically unheard of. Even with Nala vouching for them, they'd probably still be denied service.

Yorda didn't seem to understand that. The half-elf blinked in confusion. She looked down on Droop, then back to the people in front of her.

'He's not inferior.'

'Not in your eyes. But to everyone else, he's not worth the effort.'

'He knew the risks when he came in with us,' Alatar said coldly. 'This was going to happen at some point no matter what.'

Nala approached Yorda and tried to take Droop from her, but the half-elf held on to the body.

'Then… then let's bury him, at least. Give him a proper return to the earth.'

'Have you seen the ground around here? Good luck digging a hole.'

'You're not helping,' Nala growled at Alatar. Her words went ignored by both Yorda and the wizard.

'Then… then we take him outside and bury him there.'

'No. We've traveled way too deep inside to just hop over to the surface and back. If we leave now, our target will get away. Or call in reinforcements.'

'And Nundro might die,' Nala added softly. The confused expression in Yorda's eyes turned into one of frustration.

'Fine. I will keep him with me until we take care of the Black Spider.'

'You can't just drag a dead body around the mines, Yorda,' Echo replied. 'You'd be defenseless if we get ambushed again. I'm sorry to say it, but we have to leave him behind.'

'I agree. The body will turn into a liability. Leave it,' Alatar nodded. Nala turned around to face him, her eyes flaring with anger.

'Would you cut it out?!' she barked at him. 'Have some goddamn compassion for the dead!'

'I'm just being logical here!' the wizard snapped back. 'And being compassionate won't do a damn thing if it reduces our chances for survival!'

'Oh, _now_ you're suddenly worried about the rest of the group? What about ten minutes ago, when you dove into that fucking pond without warning?!' Echo said, also mixing into the argument. At that moment, Mialee, who had been pretty quiet, suddenly tensed up and drew her bow.

' _Look!'_

She was pointing in the direction of the furnace. They followed her gaze and all conversation instantly came to a halt. The skull's bone fragments had scattered all across the room. But as they looked, the group could see the shards slowly start to make their way towards each other. They merged together, rapidly becoming bigger and bigger.

It was regenerating.

The skull was on its way back.

'Fuck! Everyone, run!' Echo yelled, grabbing Yorda by the arm. The sudden yanking made her let go of Droop, who fell to the ground. But there was no time to pick him back up. As they all ran for the exit, Yorda now only clutching his little bag, a sickening green mist began to swirl around the middle of the room. The skull was almost completely re-formed.

'Wait!'

'There's no time! Fucking _come on!'_

They crashed out of the room just as a screeching sound reached their ears. At the last second, Yorda turned around. Her form glowed brightly for a second. She snapped her fingers, and the next moment Droop's body was engulfed in pale, ghostly white flames. The skull was now completely regenerated. It let out a terribly high-pitched shriek. The same swirling fire enveloped it a second time. It fired a second fireball at the group. It only barely missed its target. The group bolted through the hallway, back into the giant cavern with the pond and far out of the skull's reach.

* * *

The group continued to explore, the death of Droop weighing heavy on their shoulders. But they had to press on. They stumbled upon another room, holding a group of bugbear corpses. They were relatively fresh – and in the process of being eaten by ghouls. The group dealt with the ghouls and found a safe haven to take a rest in.

They continued exploring the next day, with more tensions among the group. The descent into the deep was starting to take its toll on all of them. Especially Yorda, who had become more and more silent and withdrawn as they'd made their way further into the mountain.

Finally, the group stumbled upon another group of bugbears. They dealt with them, but one of the creatures got away. The five of them tracked it to a long, dark passageway. Not wanting to risk more deaths, Yorda volunteered to scout ahead in spider form to see what awaited them in the dark…

* * *

The tiny spider skittered over the ceiling of the cavern, careful not to make any sounds. It took her a good two minutes to make her way to the other side – not because it was such a long passageway, but because she was an inch-sized spider. Eventually, though, Yorda started to hear breathing. She stopped, and focused. There, at the end of the passage, she could see just the faintest of bugbear silhouettes. Three of them, in fact. They had largely killed their breathing and were lying in wait. If not for her spider form, she wouldn't even have noticed them.

That was all the information that she needed. Spider-Yorda skittered on back, returning to the beginning of the passageway. The rest of the group had gathered right around the corner. They were gazing inside with concentrated frowns on their faces. None of them actually noticed Yorda returning. She dropped spider form as soon as she was on the ground, turning back into her half-elf form.

'And?' Alatar asked.

'Three of them,' Yorda answered. 'Lying in wait just around the corner. I don't think they know how close we-'

They heard a whistling sound, followed by something piercing flesh. Yorda's sentence was cut short as the pale half-elf was suddenly pushed forward a good two feet. Her eyes went wide. As she turned around, the rest of the group could see what the cause of her surprise was. A large, metal javelin had embedded itself deep into her shoulder. The pale half-elf stumbled. She turned around to look into the passageway – and two more javelins came flying out. They sunk deep into Yorda's body, impaling the half-elf a second and third time.

And Yorda fell. Her body hit the floor just as the first bugbear came storming out of the passageway. Nala immediately threw herself in front of her fallen ally, pushing the bugbear back.

'Mialee!'

The brown-haired elf nodded. She bolted for Yorda. The metal javelins were pulled out of her body at the same time that Echo began pelting the bugbears with Eldritch Blasts, keeping them from charging out of the passageway. One of them hit the closest bugbear straight in the face. He toppled over, sweeping the legs out from under the other bugbear. Alatar finished that one off with a Magic Missile.

'Are you all right?' Mialee yelled, healing the fallen Yorda. The half-elf just groaned as she got up.

'Oww.'

'Take it easy. That must have hurt.'

'Wait,' Echo said, eyeing the passageway that Nala was still standing in front of. 'Where's the third one?'

The cave was empty. There was no other bugbear in sight. But as they focused, the group could hear heavy footsteps… rapidly moving away from them.

'Shit,' Altar cursed. 'He's getting reinforcements. We've got to kill him before he alerts the rest!'

They took off running through the passageway. Yorda had to be dragged for the first few seconds, but by then her wounds had healed up. They stormed out the other end, into another cavernous room. There were two ways to go. To their left, the cave spiraled into another dwarven-made hallway. The corridor ran far. It was dark enough that they couldn't see the end of it. To their right, there was another large stalagmite-riddled room. A wide trench filled the room, with a stream pouring out of the west wall. The water tumbled down into the trench and flowed out again to the north. Several ropes were secured to iron stakes along the western edge of the trench, leading down to the chasm floor. It looked as if someone had been digging there.

Alatar and Mialee both charged into the chamber, looking left and right frantically.

'Shit, where'd he go?! Did he go down there?!'

'No way. We were right behind him!'

Echo felt a small tug on her sleeve. She looked around to see Yorda, who had been in the back of the group as they charged into the chamber. She wasn't facing the rest. Her faintly glowing hand was pointing in the direction of the dark dwarven hallway to the left. The Tiefling followed her gaze… and met the eyes of another person.

It wasn't a bugbear. It wasn't even a goblin or zombie. In front of them stood a Drow. His silver hair flowed down past his face in elegant waves. He was wearing simple leather armor, but it all looked to be in very good condition. There was not a speck of dust on him. The Drow saw Echo and Yorda look at him. A faint smile appeared on his face. He gave the two of them a single, elegant bow.

'Good afternoon, travelers. My master wishes to have a word with you.'

By now, the rest of the group had also become aware of his presence. Nala and Mialee both frowned, unsure of what to make of the situation.

'Who are you?' the brown-haired elf asked suspiciously. The Drow bowed to her, as well.

'My name is Shelk. I am a servant of my master, Nezznar. All of you probably know him as the Black Spider.'

As soon as he said that name, the entire group tensed up. Nala raised her shield in defense. Mialee had an arrow trained on Shelk's face, ready to let loose at the first sign of trouble.

'What does the Black Spider want with us?' Yorda asked, her head tilted.

'He has become aware of you… disposing… of his bugbear hirelings. The Black Spider wishes to open formal negotiations with you all, in order to avoid further needless bloodshed.'

That seemed to have an effect on Yorda. The small half-elf relaxed. She looked up at the Drow curiously. Nala and Mialee were visibly hesitant. Echo's expression mirrored that of Yorda. Her tail rhythmically trailed back and forth behind her. She frowned at Shelk, clearly considering their options.

'All right. Where is he?'

'In the other room, waiting for an audience. Shall we be off, then?'

Shelk gestured towards the darkened hallway behind him. The Tiefling shook her head.

'Not so fast. We have a couple of questions.'

'As we had expected you would,' the Drow replied with another bow. 'Please, ask me anything you wish. I will try to answer to the best of my abilities.'

At that moment, Alatar stepped forward. His hands were hidden in his dark robes, so nobody realized what he was about to do until he was doing it.

'I have a question. Can you dodge?'

Four rays of blue arcane energy spewed forth from his robes, coursing straight for Shelk. They hit him square in the chest. The silver-haired Drow was knocked back by the force of it, a pained groan escaping his lips. His leather armor wasn't clean anymore. A large blood stain started to spread across his chest as Shelk clutched at his wounds, almost doubling over in pain.

And he ran. Before anyone else in the group could react, Shelk had staggered back into the darkness. It swallowed him up like it would swallow a ghost. Not even his footsteps could be heard after that. Just like that, he was gone.

Alatar turned back to the rest of the group.

'What? He was obviously trying to-'

A fist swung his way. It was Mialee, lashing out in a rage. The wizard had to bend over backwards to avoid the punch. But that wasn't the end of it. Nala took a swing at him, as well. And she didn't miss. The wizard was socked square in the jaw by the Dragonborn's massive claw. It knocked him off-balance, sending him sprawling against the nearest wall.

'What the hell?! What was that for?!'

'Why the hell would you do that?!' Nala screamed back, almost hitting Alatar a second time. The wizard detached himself from the wall. With a frustrated scowl, he dusted off his robes.

'Don't tell me you're _that_ stupid, Nala,' he then said. 'He was obviously luring us into a trap.'

'That's not the point, you fucking idiot!' Echo snapped at him. 'We had a chance there! We had a chance and you completely ruined it!'

'What do you mean, "a chance?" All that would have happened is that they would have attacked us all from behind. You of all people should know what a setup looks like.'

Nala growled, clenching her claws into fists again. There was a small trail of smoke coming out of her nostrils.

'Even if that were true, you can't just attack out of the blue like that! Not without consulting us!'

'I saw a threat, and I eliminated it-'

'No,' the Dragonborn growled, grabbing onto the front of his robes. 'You were being an overeager murderer and put all of our lives in danger. This is the _exact_ sort of thing that you threatened to kill Mialee over. I've said before that I would not allow our lives to be endangered a third time!'

'Get your paws off of me! I made a call and acted on it! That's more than can be said of any of you!'

As they argued, Yorda had wandered off from the group and into the hallway. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for. The darkness concealed another door, leading out of the corridor and into a new room. It was closed, with no way to look inside. A few drops of blood lay right outside of the door. Yorda looked at them for a while. Then she stepped up to the door and knocked.

'Wha- Yorda!'

The rest of the group hadn't been aware of her wandering off. They turned around in surprise when they heard the knock on the wood. At that very moment, Alatar's form disappeared. It just vanished, going up into thin air. Like he hadn't just been standing there a second ago. Gone. Mialee saw it happen from the corner of her eye. She gasped and spun back around.

'Where'd he go?!'

As soon as Nala turned around and saw the empty air where Alatar's form had once been, the smoke drifting up worsened. She reached out with her arm. Her outstretched claw found nothing but air. The Dragonborn let out a rare curse.

'That fucking wizard. He's abandoning us,' Echo said. It seemed to be the last straw for Nala. A flicker of red flames could be seen between her teeth as the Dragonborn slammed her fist into the wall.

'I will kill him. The next time I see him, I will fucking kill him.'

They didn't have time to say anything else, though. Because a heavy voice from the other side of the door rang out:

'Enter.'

Yorda reached for the scimitar on her hip in response. She rarely ever used that thing. As the pale half-elf pushed open the door a little, she reached into the room with her arm – and slid the scimitar inside, making it skid across the floor for a few feet. Still partly hidden behind the door, Yorda pointed at it.

'That. That's my weapon. Right there.'

After a few seconds of silence, the same heavy voice rang out again.

'…I see. No, thank you. We've got enough of those.'

By now, the other three had joined Yorda at the door. The voice had gone quiet. It was a weird situation, and nobody really knew what to do next. Nala was still searching the hallway for traces of Alatar. Mialee had an arrow trained on the door, and Echo seemed to be racking her brain to come up with a way to make this turn around in their favor. The next second, they could hear the heavy voice again.

'Aren't you going to come in?'

Something grabbed onto the door from the other side. It swung open. In the door opening stood another massive bugbear. This one was bigger than normal. A nasty scar was spread over his chin. He looked down on Yorda, who was standing right in front of him, with a menacing scowl. Then he stepped out of the way, leaving room for them to come inside. It had all the obvious signs of a trap. But at this point, there wasn't much else that the group could do. Nala took the lead. She grabbed a firm hold of her shield and sword and stepped through the doorway, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. This time she didn't get hammered with attacks. She was allowed to walk into the room unharmed.

Echo and Yorda followed, with Mialee bringing up the rear. As they walked in, the small half-elf very casually tapped the side of her head. Echo picked up on it immediately. The Tiefling nodded once, and they stepped inside.

Six cracked marble pillars lined the walls of a massive dwarven hall. It looked like some kind of throne room, or temple. The north end housed a giant statue of a dwarf sitting on a very finely carved throne. A mighty stone warhammer rested across his lap. The eyes were a rich green colour – emeralds, as the people in the group with an eye for gemstones immediately realized.

Everyone also saw something else. In the center of the room, standing with his arms spread wide, was another Drow. This one had shorter, slicked-back grey hair and a wore an elaborate black robe with webbed patterns on it. In his right hand rested an ominous-looking black staff. The top was shaped to resemble a spider, legs outstretched. There was a second figure beside him. He was lying on the ground, unconscious. A dwarf. Nundro. Two bugbears flanked him, and a third was standing near the end of the hall next to another door.

As the group walked inside, Mialee's eyes flicked back and forth between the marble pillars.

'Something is moving behind there,' she mumbled to the rest. Nala nodded, but both Yorda and Echo didn't respond. Their expressions were strangely blank. As they walked up to Nezznar, the grey-haired Drow addressed them again.

'You have been giving my servants some trouble. I applaud you for your strength, although the loss of resources does annoy me.'

At that moment, both Nala and Mialee heard Echo's voice in their minds. She only uttered two words:

' _Play along.'_

After which the Tiefling walked up to the front of the group. With a calculating look in her eyes, she flashed a smile at Nezznar.

'We apologize for frightening your Drow servant – Shelk, was it? It's been a dangerous journey down here, and we are all a bit on edge. The wizard did not act on our behalf. As you can see, he is no longer with us.'

'I did notice someone missing,' Nezznar replied. He, too, flashed her a harmless-looking smile. He was completely unreadable. It was unsettling, to say the least.

'What, then, have you done with your… magical liability?'

'The coward ran away,' Nala growled. She tightened her grip around her weapons. Nezznar looked at the scene with a slight smirk on his face.

'All right. I can believe that. Now tell me. What exactly is the reason that all of you made the journey down here? Surely it is not for the beautiful scenery.'

They all looked at each other for a moment. Then Yorda nodded at Echo, and the Tiefling took the lead. She placed a hand on her hip and pointed at the Drow.

'To be completely honest, Nezznar – we're here because of you.'

'Do explain.'

'A couple of weeks ago, Sildar Hallwinter forced us into working for him. We were to escort a couple of goods to Phandalin, or be thrown into prison in Neverwinter. That changed into saving his life when your forces captured him and Gundrin on the road. Then it changed into rescuing Gundrin from Cragmaw Castle. Now he is forcing us to delve into this mine and risk our lives to bring you in. We have proven our worth ten times over, but Sildar is still threatening to have us arrested if we do not do as he says. And quite frankly… we're sick of it.'

Nezznar raised an eyebrow at the statement. He looked Echo over curiously, rubbing his chin as he did so.

'Interesting. Am I correct in assuming that you intend to betray your employer?'

'That is exactly what we intend to do,' Echo nodded. She looked at Yorda, who added:

'He forced us into this. I do not like being forced.'

Something in their words seemed to surprise Nezznar. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. He looked Echo and Yorda over a second time. Then his gaze wandered to Mialee and Nala, who had stuck to the background.

'And what of you two, then? Do you feel the same as your companions here?'

Mialee nodded, not saying anything. Nala merely shrugged.

'I'm merely miss Echo's protector.'

A smirk spread across Nezznar's face. He played with his staff, making the spider legs pass through his fingers.

'Well, this is an unexpected development. That changes the purpose of negotiations quite a bit.'

He snapped his fingers. The bugbears flanking Nundro picked up his body. They carried the unconscious dwarf through the door on the far end of the hallway, disappearing from sight. As soon as the door fell shut, Nezznar addressed them again.

'Well, then. In that case, I would like to offer you all a deal. There is a building within these mines that houses a very rare treasure. I have been trying to use my servants to gain access to it, but the results have been… less than satisfactory. The creature inside keeps killing my servants, actually.'

'Creature? Do you mean that floating skull?' Mialee asked. Nezznar shook his head.

'No, although I would very much like to see that one taken care of, as well. The creature I am referring to is a floating sphere of flesh, with four eyes on stalks and a series of dangerous magic abilities.'

'Oh, the eyeball!' Yorda replied. That also seemed to surprise Nezznar.

'You have already come across the creature? Don't tell me you have already dealt with it?'

'Nah. It asked us to leave, so we left it alone.'

'I… yes. Well. That is the deal I am offering you. We wish to gain access to the forge that the creature is guarding. Defeat it for me, and in turn I will share half of the treasure with you. Afterwards we can all go our separate ways, and you will be free to return to your lives.'

'That seems reasonable,' Echo nodded. 'Surely you don't expect us to do this on our own, though. If you only intend to give us half of the treasure, then we want help with defeating that eyeball.'

'That seems fair,' Nezznar nodded. His slicked-back grey hair gleamed in the dim light of the candles, spread across the dwarven statue and a wooden table at the end of the hallway. He snapped his fingers again. The door opened, and five bugbears came marching out. They joined him in the middle of the room.

'Unfortunately you have reduced the number of my servants quite a bit. This is all I can offer you for now. They will aid you in defeating the creature.'

'Will they listen to us in battle?' Nala asked, eyeing the bugbears suspiciously. Nezznar nodded.

'They will do what is required of them.'

'Yeah, but will they _listen_ to us, specifically?' Yorda pushed. The Black Spider gave her a long, blank stare. Then he shrugged.

'They listen to _me_. Isn't that right, Pookie?'

Echo almost choked. Nezznar was looking at the bugbear behind them. The gigantic one with the scar on his chin. Even Nala and Mialee couldn't help but snicker. The bugbear named "Pookie" looked even more menacing – and just a bit embarrassed. He nodded once at Nezznar.

'That's a good boy. As for the rest of you – you know what to do. Come back here when the creature has been dealt with.'

He waved his hand, as if to dismiss them. The negotiations were over. Echo gave him a short bow and excused herself. As they all made their way back to the door, Nezznar's voice rang out once again.

'One more thing. If you happen to see that wizard on the way… it would be wise to take care of him, as well. Permanently.'

'Oh, I will,' Nala growled.

And with that, they were outside.

* * *

 **Echo**

* * *

As the group made their way back through the mine, Echo made sure to stay behind the group of bugbears. As soon as the Tiefling felt that their focus had shifted away from her, she muttered under her breath to telepathically message Nala and Mialee again.

' _That went well.'_

The Dragonborn twitched in surprise. One of the bugbears noticed it, but just huffed and kept going. They didn't seem to be the brightest types.

' _Act casual, Nala. They can't know that we're talking telepathically.'_

' _Do you feel like sharing the plan now?'_ the paladin replied, shaking her head. _'It's a little difficult to play along if you don't know what the plan is, you know.'_

' _I know. But we had to act fast, and without them overhearing.'_

The Tiefling smirked behind the bugbear's backs. As the group had been walking into the room, Yorda had tapped the side of her head. It was a sign, something that they had agreed upon a while back. The Tiefling had immediately contacted her telepathically.

' _What's up?'_

' _We need to lie.'_

' _What?'_

' _He needs something from here. If we can trick him into thinking that we want to help him get it, we could turn this to our advantage.'_

Echo had agreed, and had proceeded to bluff her tail off. It hadn't been a complete lie – their initial deal with Sildar really had gotten extended over and over again. The truth had been distorted just enough for them to trick Nezznar. There hadn't been time to notify Mialee and Nala, though.

' _We're not actually going to help him kill this thing, right?'_ the paladin asked Echo. _'The Black Spider is a murderer. He's responsible for killing both Gundrin and Tharden. This doesn't feel like the right thing to do. Tell me we're not really doing this.'_

That surprised the Tiefling. Had she fooled not only Nezznar, but Nala as well?

' _Of course not, you biscuit,'_ Echo replied, a little harsher than normal. _'But the bugbears don't need to know that.'_

From the back of the group, Echo could see Nala relax a little.

' _Good. I thought… It felt like we were about to do the wrong thing. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you.'_

' _Water under the bridge,'_ Echo responded, partly to reassure Nala and partly to reassure herself. She really hadn't expected the paladin to doubt her so easily. At least she asked what the plan was. It still nagged a bit, though. Echo quickly brought Mialee up to speed, as well.

'You people are very silent,' one of the bugbears suddenly said. He was eyeing them all suspiciously.

'Well, this is a very dangerous place,' Echo quickly bluffed. 'It's better to stay silent and make sure that nothing notices us than to get noticed and attacked.'

'Weaklings,' one of the other bugbears said. This one wasn't suspicious – but he did seem to be looking down on them all, including Nala. They continued in silence. Echo took that time to message Yorda again.

' _Okay, we've split them up. Now what?'_

' _We keep going. Maybe one or two of them will get killed by zombies and stirges before we reach that forge. Then we pretend to prepare for the eyeball creature. We'll turn on them right as they're about to attack. With a bit of luck, we can get in a few surprise blows.'_

That was actually a pretty decent plan. Echo relayed the information to the rest of the group, making sure that they were all on the same page. With that, they pressed onward.

One of the bugbears actually did end up dying to the poisonous room. As it hadn't been a direct attack by them, the rest of the bears didn't get suspicious. They made their way back to the dwarven buildings, stopping at the one that they now knew was the forge. As they stood in front of the door, Yorda turned to the bugbears.

'I'm going to tell you the plan. You don't listen to us, but it would… help… if you do as we say anyway.'

They didn't respond. Yorda shrugged and proceeded to explain anyway. Nala was to take one bugbear and enter through the main door. Echo would hide behind the wall of the stairs going down to the skull building, and Mialee would be at the corner of the building with another bugbear, ready to provide backup.

'I'm going to go through the other door,' Yorda explained, pointing at the ruined door on the other side. 'But it's rusted shut. We'll need strength to open it. And I'm not very strong.'

'Clearly,' one of the bugbears smirked, looking down on her in a very condescending way. Yorda shrugged again.

'I'll need someone else to open the door for us. You're all very muscular. So could the strongest two go with me, please?'

That actually led to the four of them arguing over which one was the strongest. Yorda looked at the rest of the group. The real objective of this plan wasn't to charge in with the bugbears. It was to split them up. And it worked. As Yorda took two of them around the building, Nala, Mialee and Echo positioned themselves – not to break in, but to strike down their new teammates. As they positioned themselves in front of the doors, Yorda gave her two bugbears one last look.

'Are you ready?'

They nodded. Yorda smiled, stepped towards the one on the left – and buried her clawed hand into his back, wildshaping into her bear form. The bugbear let out a scream.

'YAAAAAAGH!'

That was the signal. In a fluid motion Nala, Echo and Mialee all turned on the remaining bugbears at once. The Dragonborn nailed her bugbear right in the jugular as Echo pelted him from behind. He went down quickly. The two moved to help Mialee, who was facing off against one alone. He had cornered her against the wall of the forge. The bugbear reached for his mace – just as the brown-haired elf buried her swords in his chest. Nala cleaved him from behind at the same time. This one, too, went down quickly. He hit the ground with a loud _thud_.

'Everyone all right?' Nala asked her companions. They nodded, still tense.

'Good. Come on, let's go help-'

But the white bear had already sauntered around the corner. Her paws were soaked in blood. Behind her were two bugbear corpses, torn to pieces.

'That was… much easier than I thought it would be,' Echo said, surprised. Mialee nodded. She wiped her blades on the nearest corpse to get rid of the blood. Next to her, Yorda dropped bear form, changing back into a half-elf. She placed a hand on her lips, a sign that she was thinking.

'That should have helped to turn things to our advantage. If we reach Nezznar before he has the chance to call in reinforcements, we might be able to take him out. Even without Alatar.'

'I'm exhausted,' Echo replied, holding her side. 'We need to rest before we go back. Even if it's just a short rest.'

She had a point. They had been fighting almost non-stop for a very long time, and everyone was nearing their limit. Mialee pointed towards one of the ruined houses to the south.

'We could block the door with something and rest there. I'm pretty tired, too.'

'All right,' Nala nodded. She walked towards one of the bugbear corpses and grabbed his weapon – a large pointy mace. It looked big enough to hold a door closed. They made their way over to the building, leaving the other corpses there. If there were roaming zombies left, they'd take care of the bugbears for them.

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

They went in one by one. It was a small room, not much more than a hovel. But it would have to do. Nala stepped in last, using the bugbear's mace to wedge the front door shut. It was very dark inside. They lit a torch, placing it in the middle of the room as everyone got comfortable. Within the hour, they'd start making their way back to the throne room. Towards Nezznar, and the final fight.

Yorda was sitting a little ways away from the others, leaned against the farthest wall. She was looking at the rest of them with a weary expression on her face. The tunnels had done a number on her. They had to get out. Soon.

Suddenly, Yorda felt something shift behind her. She could hear the faint rustling of robes. A voice rang out, whispering just loud enough for her to hear.

'Just hear me out.'

The small half-elf sat up straight, immediately realizing who it was. She gave a single nod. The rest of the group looked at her curiously. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then a small flash of arcane energy lit up the room and Alatar's form became visible.


	20. Chapter 5,4 - Wave Echo Cave, part 3

**5.4 – Wave Echo Cave, part 3**

* * *

 _This is the final chapter before the epilogue. Our DM has moved on from this adventure by now, and is in the process of creating his own campaign. I'd like to thank everyone for following the story this far, and hope that you will enjoy the last two chapters, as well. =)_

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

They went in one by one. It was a small room, not much more than a hovel. But it would have to do. Nala stepped in last, using the bugbear's mace to wedge the front door shut. It was very dark inside. They lit a torch, placing it in the middle of the room as everyone got comfortable. Within the hour, they'd start making their way back to the throne room. Towards Nezznar, and the final fight.

Yorda was sitting a little ways away from the others, leaned against the farthest wall. She was looking at the rest of them with a weary expression on her face. The tunnels had done a number on her. They had to get out.

Soon.

Suddenly, Yorda felt something shift behind her. She could hear the faint rustling of robes. A voice rang out, whispering just loud enough for her to hear.

'Just hear me out.'

The small half-elf sat up straight, immediately realizing who it was. She gave a single nod. The rest of the group looked at her curiously. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then a small flash of arcane energy lit up the room and Alatar's form became visible. He was right behind Yorda, leaning against the wall as well.

Nala immediately jumped to her feet.

'You!' she growled, reaching for her sword. 'You have some _nerve!'_

Alatar quickly raised his arms, showing that he was unarmed.

'Wait! Wait. Just hear me out. Please.'

Frankly, Alatar looked terrible. His robes were torn and filthy, and there were multiple blood stains on his face. The magical boots that he'd taken from Tharden's body were covered in ick and gore. He seemed otherwise unharmed, though. Nala saw that, too. The Dragonborn looked truly torn for a moment. The hatred she radiated towards the wizard was almost tangible. She wanted to hurt him. Yorda watched her friend intently, waiting for the Dragonborn to make a move.

In the end, though, Nala relaxed. She lowered her weapon with a frustrated huff.

'Fine, then. You better have a damn good explanation, wizard.'

'I do,' Alatar said, hands still raised. 'I went invisible to help you.'

'Excuse me?' Echo replied. By now, everyone had gotten up. Mialee had once again reached for her bow – this time aiming it at Alatar's throat. They were all very unhappy to see him and very hostile. The wizard was still holding up his hands.

'I'm serious. I did it because- because I thought that you were all about to do something stupid. I thought that you'd let Nezznar lure you into a trap, and then kill you all. I went invisible to follow you inside, and attack him from behind when the fight began.'

He sheepishly looked at Echo and Yorda.

'I didn't think you would try to bluff your way in. But you did. And then you planned ahead to get rid of his minions. It, uh, impressed me a little, actually.'

'We could have let you in on the plan if you hadn't fucking vanished without a word,' Echo snapped at him.

'Yeah, well. It's not like you ever listen to me in the first place.'

'Excuse me? I'd say it is the other way around!' Nala replied. 'We've given you countless opportunities! You either ignore us, or snap at us for being incompetent. You don't even care about who you're traveling with!'

'The same could be said for all of you!' Alatar suddenly snapped. He lowered his hands, pointing at all of them. 'None of you give a damn about me, either! You're hypocrites. You've never shown any interest towards me!'

'We have,' Yorda said, turning around to face him. Alatar scoffed as he looked down on her.

'That's a lie. Give me one example, _one example_ , of a time where any of you tried to get to know me.'

It was clearly meant to go unanswered, and shock the group. But Yorda didn't as much as blink as she answered his demand.

'I tried multiple times, actually. In the prison in Neverwinter. In Cragmaw Castle. On the road to Phandalin. Back in Thundertree.'

Alatar frowned. He opened his mouth, then closed it again as his mind processed the information. The confident, accusing gaze slowly vanished from Alatar's face. A look of confusion appeared instead.

'Wait, seriously?'

Mialee nodded.

'Yeah, seriously. It's not our fault that you're too fucking thickheaded to notice,' Echo added. Alatar's face flushed a light shade of pink. His mistake suddenly registered. He seemed to be at a loss of words. In that moment, the wizard showed a striking resemblance to a strategist who just had his plans swept out from under him. His cheeks turned a darker shade of pink.

'I didn't… realize that,' Alatar finally said. 'I thought you didn't… well. Anyway. That's what I thought. I didn't abandon you all, but I didn't feel like voluntarily walking into a death trap either. I guess we… all made mistakes back there.'

It was probably supposed to be an apology, although it wasn't phrased as one. The wizard was avoiding eye contact, stubbornly looking at a point on the wall behind everyone. He seemed to be badly flustered. Mialee saw it, too. She opened her mouth to say something, but then seemingly changed her mind and closed it again.

'This does help our odds of making it out alive,' the Tiefling finally said. 'I don't like it, but we need as many people as we can get. We still have Nezznar to take care of. Even if he has less minions now.'

Alatar nodded, focusing on her.

'I agree. We might not all see… eye to eye, but no matter how you look at it, we're going to have to work together.'

Mialee nodded, agreeing as well. The group seemed to be closing in on some kind of conclusion. They had lowered their weapons, their bodies slightly less tense compared to a couple of minutes ago. Except for Nala. Her hands were wrapped around her sword and shield as she looked down on Alatar.

'No,' the Dragonborn said. 'That's not enough.'

'Think of the bigger picture, paladin,' Alatar frowned.

'I am. And this is it. I don't trust you. I don't know anything about you. At all. Everyone else has shared some part of their past and goals by now, showing the rest of us that they can be trusted. Everyone. But not you. Never you. We still know just as little about who you are as we knew on the day that we were all thrown in prison together. That was an entire month ago, and we still know – _nothing_ – about you.'

She looked him right in the eyes, towering over the wizard.

'That is why I don't trust you. And if I can't even trust my own ally, then how are we ever supposed to work together?'

Alatar didn't reply. He looked up at Nala, holding eye contact but not responding in any other way. Mialee and Echo remained silent, as well. The Dragonborn had a point. The truth was that they did, indeed, know nothing about him. At all. After a full month, they were still strangers to each other. And now, that prevented them from moving forward. The group had reached an impasse.

It was what Yorda had been waiting for. The small half-elf stepped forward, tapping Alatar on the shoulder. He broke eye contact with Nala and turned towards her. She flashed him a smile.

'Why do you hide who you are?'

She pointed at his hood. Alatar's eyes narrowed as he looked down on her.

'I don't know what-'

'You know what I mean.'

Yorda had known for weeks. Ever since Cragmaw Castle. In order to help Mialee track down her clan, she had wild shaped and searched for any traces of scents similar to Mialee. Yorda found none, save for her own… and that of one other person.

Eventually, after a few seconds of contemplation, Alatar let out a sigh. He reached for his hood. It had always covered most of his head and face, keeping most of his human features hidden. His hands grabbed onto the edges of the hood and pulled.

He threw the hood off, revealing the one part of his body that was different. Where human-sized ears should have been, instead the group saw two long elf-shaped ears, ending in a thin point. They weren't as long as Mialee's ears, but they definitely did not belong to a human. In fact, they were almost exactly like Yorda's ears. He was a half-elf, just like her.

'Wha- why didn't you tell us?' Nala asked, surprised. All of them, especially Mialee, seemed quite taken aback by the reveal. It was a rather strange sight, actually. He wasn't a blend between the two races, like other half-elves were. There was almost no elf in there. Everything about Alatar's body screamed _human_ – except for those ears. The wizard shrugged, looking away from them as he answered Nala's question.

'Prejudice.'

'That makes no fucking sense,' Echo countered with a frown. 'We have another half-elf right here in the group. And a fucking Dragonborn _and_ a Tiefling, for that matter. Why the fuck would we treat you different?'

'Not you,' Alatar said, shaking his head. 'But the people that I grew up with did. My home town was… not very kind to people like me. So I learned to adapt. If I just hid my ears, I could pass for a human. I got used to doing that. It's become somewhat of a second nature for me to hide them now.'

As he talked, Alatar kept throwing sideways glances at the group. He looked incredibly uncomfortable. Frustrated, even. It dawned on Yorda that he really hadn't intended for them to find out at all. She didn't really understand. Alatar was a strange one. Then again, so was everyone else. In a strange way, they were alike.

'Thank you for telling us,' the small half-elf said. Alatar made a weird head gesture that was somewhere in between a shrug and a nod.

'Yeah, well. I guess I haven't been very forthcoming either. Maybe.'

They had not expected that reveal. But the tension was gone. It wasn't much. But it was the first thing he shared with the group. A first glimpse into who he really was.

It was a start.

'I guess we've… all acted a little rash,' Nala admitted. 'Let's just… let's just call a truce for now. You're right – we do need everyone to make it out of here. That includes you.'

The Dragonborn was still avoiding eye contact with him. But she had finally let go of her sword. In a gesture of good faith, she reached out her arm to him. It was reluctant and forced and awkward. But the intent was clear. The ball was in Alatar's court now. For a moment, the wizard didn't respond. He just stared at her, his eyes cold and calculating. Then Alatar reached out as well. He clasped Nala's hand in his and shook.

'All right, then. Truce. For now.'

* * *

The group took the rest of their time in that stone house to rest up and prepare for the final battle. After such a long time underground, they needed the breathing room. Spending multiple hours in there to rest up was out of the question, though. They didn't know how much Nezznar knew, and how much he suspected. They could not give him the opportunity to call in backup.

No, they had to finish this. Soon.

The plan was simple. It was remarkably much like Alatar's old plan, actually. Only this time, everyone knew what was going to happen. Alatar was to once again go invisible, after which the group could pretend that they were still enemies. While Echo kept them talking, Alatar would then sneak up behind Nezznar and the bugbears and position himself for a surprise attack. They had it all planned. Nala would deal with the bugbears, while Mialee and Echo unloaded on Nezznar and Alatar pelted him from behind. Mialee had keenly noticed some more giant spiders in the hall when they entered the first time – those, Yorda would deal with.

It was a solid plan.

* * *

Of course, none of the actual fight went according to plan.

'I see you have returned,' Nezznar called out. 'How fares the creature in the forge?'

Echo had taken the lead, boldly walking up to the grey-haired Drow a second time. The entire group was aware of the plan this time around. Alatar, already invisible, had moved away from the group as soon as "Pookie" the bugbear let them back inside. He snuck to the left side of the room, near the pillars, as Echo started to talk to Nezznar.

'Alive, I'm afraid. That thing is stronger than we imagined it would be.'

Nezznar frowned, taking a step forward.

'That is disappointing. Nevertheless, your numbers have dwindled. What, pray tell, has happened to my bugbears?'

He wasn't alone in the large chamber. Pookie had positioned himself directly behind the group, and two more bugbears flanked the door on the other side of the room. As Nezznar stepped towards her, Echo made one more attempt to bluff her way out of this.

'They fell to the creature, unfortunately. I hate to admit it, but we may require your help to deal with this thing once and for all. We barely escaped with our lives just now.'

Nezznar's expression darkened. He slowly looked the entire group over. Their clothes were tattered, but not bloody. Their previously inflicted wounds had started to heal. They did not look like they had just lost a battle. On the contrary. It suddenly dawned on all of them that their short period of rest would end up giving them away.

And that is exactly what happened. Nezznar's frown deepened as a disturbing grin crept across his face. The Drow took another step towards Echo. From the corner of their eyes, the group could suddenly see something move on the left side of the room. There, between the massive pillars, hung a web. A massive, person-sized web. And something invisible was struggling around inside of it.

Alatar.

Caught.

'That is unfortunate,' Nezznar smiled. His eyes drilled straight into Echo's. The Tiefling found herself unable to look away.

'Well, in that case… I am sorry that it must be this way.'

Something silver flickered beneath his robes. When the Tiefling looked down, it was already too late. A long, nasty-looking dagger plunged into Echo's side, piercing her leather armor to tear at the flesh underneath. Echo gasped.

But instead of flinching in pain, a different emotion kicked in. The Tiefling reached out and grabbed Nezznar's hand as he drove the dagger into her side. Her eyes glowed a hellish white. Black flames rose up from her hair, traveling down her arms as she hissed at him:

'You should not have done that.'

The hellish flames leaped off her body and slammed into Nezznar, who staggered back with a painful roar. The fire burned into his chest, dissolving part of his armor. It looked incredibly painful. The grey-haired Drow didn't stay off-balance for long, though. As Nezznar regained his footing, he slammed his staff on the ground next to him.

The group immediately started to hear skittering sounds around them. The five of them watched as one, two, three, four spiders descended from the pillars lining the hallway. They were monstrous. Much larger than the ones encountered in Thundertree, their jaws snapped with anger. They came up to Nala's waist, and stood at almost equal height to Yorda.

One of the spiders immediately skittered for Alatar, who was still stuck in the web. His invisibility did nothing to help him. The spider pounced. Alatar was thrown from the web onto the ground. Before the wizard could get back up, another web had covered most of his lower body. Those things could shoot webs from their mouths, too. This was bad.

And then it became even worse. As Alatar tried to break free from the sticky webbing, the spider pounced a second time. It hit Alatar's temple. The wizard slammed against the ground, unconscious.

'Did you really think that I would allow anyone to sneak up on me?' Nezznar snapped, slashing at Echo a second time. Nala pulled her out of the blade's path at the last second. It made her unable to react, herself. A second and third web came flying their way, catching both Nala and Mialee on their legs. They instantly became stuck to the ground.

'Nala! I can't move!'

'Not good,' the Dragonborn growled, trying to pull herself free. Nezznar grinned.

'You have all chosen your fate. The mines will become your tomb, as it has for all the sad and pathetic adventurers that came before you. My spiders will devour your corpses and feast on your blood.'

He said it softly, almost as if he was reciting a poem. It was incredibly disturbing. The grey-haired Drow ducked to avoid one of Echo's Eldritch Blasts, gesturing with his hand to the bugbears on the other side of the room. They came running almost immediately.

Pookie did the same. He went for Yorda, who was standing right next to him. The bugbear towered over her. As he reached back to swing his mace, the small half-elf suddenly turned towards him. Her eyes met his.

'Stand down, please.'

A malefic grin spread across the bugbear's scarred face. He didn't listen. He swung his mace, burying the thing into Yorda's side with a sickening _thud_. The force was enough to make her double over in pain – but when she looked back up, her eyes were filled with a wild rage as her hands rapidly grew into claws.

'I _warned you_.'

The next second, her form was gone. Yorda-bear tore into the bugbear, almost ripping the mace out of his arm. Both of them slammed into the stone wall behind them. Neither was aware of the rest of the battle anymore.

And the rest of the battle was not going well. Nala, still stuck in a web, couldn't reach Nezznar as he rapidly moved away from the group. Mialee and Echo started to pelt him with arrows and magic. Before long, though, the bugbears had reached them. They completely blocked Nezznar from view, towering over the both of them.

Alatar was unconscious on the ground. All four spiders had seen him fall. They wasted no time. They were coming for him. The spiders skittered past Mialee and Yorda, coursing directly for Alatar. When he fell unconscious, his invisibility dropped. One of the spiders was already on top of him, tearing into his shoulder with its fanged jaws. Watching that sent Nala into a panic.

'Echo! Shoot at my legs!' she yelled over her shoulder.

'The fuck?!'

'Just do it!'

The Tiefling did as Nala asked, aiming her Eldritch blasts at the paladin's feet. They tore through her armor. Nala slammed her teeth together and toughed it out. It was enough. The heat from the blasts dissolved part of the web, loosening the strands around Nala just enough for the Dragonborn to tear herself free. She instantly shot to the left. The paladin bulldozed through the group of spiders, effectively smacking them away from the downed form of Alatar. It was just in time. He was bleeding heavily.

'Come on, wizard,' Nala growled, as she crouched down to heal him. 'On your feet. Get up.'

Her healing magic brought him back. Alatar coughed, rolling over on the ground as Nala cut him loose from the web.

'So much… for the plan,' the wizard groaned. Another spider pounced. It jumped up on Nala's back. Alatar reached for it, blasting it back off with a magic missile.

'Thanks.'

'Don't mention it. Help me up.'

The two of them proceeded to fend off the spiders as best they could. They were joined by Mialee, who had two bugbears in hot pursuit. Nala cut them off from Mialee by letting the elf barrel-roll underneath her shield. It was a cool move – and effective. The bugbears banged against her shield, falling down from the force of impact.

On the other side of the room, Echo faced off against Nezznar. The Tiefling attacked like a woman with a grudge. Without hesitation. Nezznar wasn't prepared for the array of Eldritch Blasts and blackened hellfire that was flung his way. He staggered backwards. His dagger flew from his hands, landing in one of the webs in between the pillars. The next blast hit him square in the throat, punching a hole through the skin. It was a fatal hit. Gurgling, Nezznar fell to the ground.

He was done for.

As soon as his body hit the floor, Nezznar's form suddenly shifted. His slicked-back, silvery grey hair vanished. His face changed as well– where before there had been very noticeable cheekbones and a pointed chin and nose, now there was nothing. A formless face and pale white eyes rested atop a blue-ish grey body that looked vaguely like an elf. If elves were a foot taller and incredibly lanky. It looked weird, and… _wrong_ , somehow.

'What the fuck?' Echo thought out loud, looking down on what had been Nezznar. She didn't have time to think about it anymore, though. The rest of the group was still being assaulted by spiders and bugbears. Echo let out a curse and ran forward, taking aim at the nearest spider.

'Yorda! Stop playing around and come help the rest!'

The bear stood elbow-deep inside what was left of Pookie, tearing his chest open. As soon as she heard Echo's voice, Yorda-bear turned around. She was just in time to see the door on the other side of the room open. There was a flash of arcane energy. Then something came flying out. It was an attack that they were all very familiar with. Magic missile, Alatar's signature spell. They slammed into Echo from behind, catching her by surprise and knocking her off her feet. It was a very nasty hit. The Tiefling hit the ground with a pained scream. Blood poured out of the wounds in her back. She was about to faint. It looked like she had just barely managed to power through the attack, staying conscious by the skin of her teeth.

And there was still no figure emerging from the open door. Nala and Mialee managed to take out the last of the spiders. As they turned towards the bugbears, Yorda began to move in the direction of the door. Another array of Magic Missiles came flying out. They drilled into the bear's hide. She let out a pained cry as her form shifted back to normal.

Alatar reached out for the nearest bugbear, muttering under his breath. A ray of blue arcane energy shot forth from his fingers. It caught the thing just as it swung to hit Mialee. Within seconds, he froze over. His weapon hit the ground with a loud clattering sound.

It was the last of the foes to defeat. Around Nala, Mialee and Alatar was now a wide arch of enemy corpses. They were all in various states of being frozen, cut up, smashed in or torn apart. The paladin let out a heavy sigh as she lowered her weapon. It had been a lot of them, even without the five bugbears that they'd killed before. Somehow, they were all still standing.

Or almost all of them. Echo was still on the ground, gasping for air. The paladin quickly staggered over to her side. She healed her in the same way that she'd healed Alatar, placing a hand on Echo's shoulder as she helped the Tiefling back to her feet.

'Are you all right?'

'D…door,' Echo groaned, pointing behind her. Yorda had already reached the other side of the hallway. She stepped in front of the open door, peering inside with her fingers extended into claws. From the other side, a male voice rang out. A familiar voice.

'W-wait! We can talk about this!'

It was Nezznar's voice. The small half-elf didn't hesitate. She stepped through the door and vanished from sight.

'Shit,' Echo cursed. She dragged herself further up on Nala's shoulder, turning to head towards the door as well.

On the other side, Yorda had moved into a secondary hallway. This one was much smaller, and almost completely shrouded in darkness. In the middle of the hallway stood a single door. It was closed, but the pale half-elf could have sworn she'd seen it move just now. Without hesitation, she walked towards it.

Yorda threw the door open to reveal another room. This one was small, with almost no furniture and a low ceiling. Inside stood Nezznar. He was backed against the far wall, holding up the unconscious form of Nundro by his tunic. A small scimitar was pressed against the dwarf's neck. The weapon looked familiar, too. Yorda glanced down at her belt, where her own blade normally hung. Not this time. She'd left it in the large hall, the first time they'd encountered Nezznar. Now he was using her own blade against her. There was something ironic about that.

'Easy now,' Nezznar grinned at her as she stepped in. He dragged the blade across Nundro's throat for just an inch. It was enough to make a few drops of blood appear. They slowly dripped down his neck. It was an obvious threat. Nezznar partly hid behind Nundro's limp body, grinning as he looked at Yorda.

'Why don't we negotiate? I'd like to call for a truce.'

From the other room, the footsteps from the rest of the group rapidly approached. Yorda tilted her head slightly, looking at the situation in front of her. At the bead of sweat that was pouring down the side of Nezznar's face. At his trembling left arm. At his sword hand, which was completely steady.

'…Call.'

Nezznar blinked. He had not expected a weird answer like that. It threw him off balance, but not for long. As Nala and Echo came around the corner, the grey-haired Drow quickly righted himself.

'I am not a stupid man, and I know when to admit defeat. Here is my offer. I will let Nundro live, and let him leave this mine without me causing any further harm whatsoever. Of course, that offer extends to everyone in your group. I will surrender peacefully.'

'In exchange for what?' Echo said, with one eyebrow raised. Nezznar's grin faded.

'I want my life. I want you to agree to spare me, and deliver me to the authorities. Their justice is the only justice that I will accept. Do that, and I promise to let Nundro here go unharmed.'

Echo's expression darkened. His hypocrisy was not lost on her. If the roles had been reversed, the Drow would probably have acted very differently. Yorda blinked and nodded at the man in front of her. But as she stepped forward, Nezznar pressed the scimitar against Nundro's throat even tighter.

'Not you!' He snapped. Then he used the blade to point at Nala.

'Her. I want her to promise that I'll be spared. That I'll be unharmed. Not just from her, but from the entire group.'

He aimed his words directly at Nala, making eye contact with her.

'I want you to promise me that, as a paladin.'

A deep frown appeared on Nala's face. She realized the gravity of the request. She would not only have to assure him of her own behavior, but would have to be responsible for the actions of her companions, as well. People that she had no direct control over. People like Mialee and Alatar, who were known to be trigger-happy.

But if she refused, then Nundro would die.

'What did you want with that forge?' Echo asked, attempting to buy Nala some time. Nezznar scowled.

'The place has a strong magic cast upon it. Strong enough to bring great benefits to the owner.'

'This was an elaborate setup. Catching Sildar and Gundrin, and getting all of those goblins and bugbears to cooperate. That requires some real planning. You can't have done all of this alone. Spill it, Drow. Who are you working for?'

It was a very keen observation. Nezznar did not seem to like that question at all. He scowled at her again, before hissing:

'I can't answer that. And even if I could, that is _not important_. Paladin! I'm waiting for your answer. Will you save Nundro, or let him die like his brothers?'

To illustrate his point, he sliced Nundro's throat a little bit more. Their time was up. He wanted an answer.

'All right,' Nala finally said. 'I promise that you will not be harmed by any of us if you let him go. You'll be brought back to Phandalin, where you'll face justice. We will keep you safe until then, if you promise not to resist. Will that be enough?'

'Excellent,' Nezznar grinned. He slowly lowered the blade from Nundro's throat, then let go of his tunic. The Dwarf fell back on the ground. Nezznar quickly stepped away from him, placing his hands in the air.

'We'll be tying you up,' Echo spoke. Behind her, Alatar poked his head in as well.

'Check him for weapons. And no funny business. If you even look at us the wrong way, we'll chop your head off faster than you can say _spider_.'

* * *

The fight was officially over. After they relieved him of his weapons, Mialee and Alatar tied Nezznar up with ropes. They escorted him back into the hall, while Nala carried Nundro.

The stocky dwarf woke up not too long after that. He had been tortured for information together with his brother. Nala was given the responsibility of telling him what had happened to his Gundrin and Tharden. The youngest Rockseeker brother… did not take the news well. His grief rendered him almost completely unresponsive.

Nala and Yorda took that opportunity to warn him. This cave was way too dangerous. Nezznar's presence, and his refusal to tell who he worked for, had all of them worried. Even if they gained control over the riches in the mines, they would just become a source of conflict in the future.

No, it would be in everyone's best interest if the Lost Mines of Phandelver would remain just that.

Lost.


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

 _It's all over. This was our very first campaign, and we all immensely enjoyed it. Writing it was a blast, too. Even though everyone was a beginner and we did some really, REALLY stupid things, everyone managed to make it out alive. We're all looking forward to seeing where the next campaign brings us._

 _Thank you very much for sticking with me throughout the entire story. Your comments have never failed to make my day! =D_

 _What did you think of the story? Did you have a favourite character? Please, feel free to share any thoughts you have with me. ^^_

 _And... see you in the next one._

 _-Yimi_

* * *

A few hours later, the group finally made it back out of Wave Echo Cave. They were greeted by a beautiful early afternoon sun shining down on all of their faces. And by something else. As soon as they reached the main road, a group of riders approached them. It turned out to be Sildar, together with a handful of guards from Phandalin. He had gotten worried for them, and rode over to pick them up. The group gladly accepted the ride home.

* * *

Phandalin was exactly as they had left it. A small town, peaceful now that the Redbrands had been dealt with. A welcome sight after the harrowing experience in the mountains. The group split up, with Alatar insistent on accompanying Nezznar as the Black Spider was brought to prison. He and Mialee went to the Town Mayor before that, to get their gold from the Cragmaw Castle mission.

He wasn't very happy to see them.

'Oh _no_ , not you again!' Harbin Wester groaned as he saw Alatar and Mialee walk in. 'What do you want _this_ time?'

'The same thing that we wanted last time, Harbin,' Alatar replied in a cold voice. 'You still owe us money.'

'I don't owe you anything!' the mayor huffed. 'You are simply awaiting payment for a cleanup endeavor in the Neverwinter Woods. I told you that we had to verify the situation first!'

'It's been days. If your scouts have not returned by now, they are dead,' Mialee replied. That seemed to annoy Harbin even more.

'Of course they are back!' he snapped. 'They have been back for three days! Our men are incredibly capable rang-'

'Good, so you know that we cleared out the castle and dealt with the orcs,' Alatar rudely interrupted him.

'Well, yes, I suppose that you have indeed-'

'We did. Now hand over the money already.'

With an incredibly vicious glance at Alatar, Harbin snapped his fingers at the reception lady on the other side of the hall. She left immediately, and came back a few minutes later with a large pouch in her arms. It looked heavy.

'Here you go. Your official payment for a job well done,' she said, nervously smiling at Alatar and Mialee.

'Wonderful. Now if you don't have any other business here-'

'Hold on, human. We have to count it first.'

If looks could have killed, Mialee would have been dead on the floor. Instead, Harbin and his female receptionist were forced to watch in silent frustration as the content of the pouch was dumped on their clean counter and slowly, ever so slowly, sifted through. Coin by coin. One by one.

Eventually, the two nodded to each other.

'Well, I guess it's all there. I suppose you aren't completely incompetent after all.'

'Wha- how dare-!'

'Thank you _very much_ for your patronage,' the woman said, quickly jabbing Harbin in his side to make him shut up. Then, after a short hesitation, she added:

'It's always a pleasure. Please don't come again.'

Both of them tensed visually as Alatar and Mialee walked to the exit. The last time they had been here, Mialee had left a bleeding Orc head on the counter, and Alatar had made it into an hour-long stink bomb.

And the wizard remembered that, too. As Alatar walked out, he lifted his hand and aimed it at the two people inside.

'No- no, please!'

He held his hand there for a second, before stepping out with an amused chuckle.

Back outside, Mialee was holding the pouch of coins.

'Do you want your share now?' Mialee asked Alatar. The wizard shook his head.

'No. The others will end up thinking that I took too much, or something. Wait until we're all together.'

He began to walk away. Mialee watched him leave with a frown on her face.

'Where are you going?'

'I have to make sure of something. Go on without me.'

She shrugged, and headed in the direction of the tavern. Alatar wasn't heading there, however. He deliberately walked around the corner of the Town Hall – then circled back, going back to the entrance. Both Harbin and his assistant let out audible groans when they saw him enter.

'Not _again_. Please, just leave.'

Alatar shook his head at them. This time, he wasn't grinning.

'That prisoner that we brought in. Nezznar. Is he in the dungeons?'

'Well, yes. That's where Sildar told us to put him.'

'Bring me to him. I have a couple of questions for our… guest.'

* * *

Echo and Yorda were sitting on the roof of the tavern when Mialee came running by. They waved at her and shouted something, but the brown-haired elf paid them no attention. She sprinted by the tavern's entrance and headed south.

Her destination: Edermath Orchard.

It did not take Mialee long to arrive. Daran was outside, tending to the many trees in his orchard. His silver hair was tied together and his eyes were squinted against the sun as he cut a couple of branches off. Mialee walked up to him, digging around in her pockets until she had found what she was searching for. A small flute. She'd made it on the way back from Wave Echo Cave. It was the only one so far that had turned out well.

Daran saw her coming. He stopped trimming the tree next to him and placed the shears on the ground.

'Mialee. I see you have returned. I am glad to see that you made it back in one piece.'

The brown-haired elf didn't answer. With a nervous expression, she stuck out her arm to hand him the flute.

'Is this for me?' Daran asked, his eyebrows raised at the gesture. Mialee nodded.

'It's a flute. From one of the branches that you gave me. I, uh… I never really thanked you for the branches that you gave me.'

'There's no need,' Daran smiled at her.

'Well、 I did kind of trespass on your property, too. And one of the flutes really came in handy in Thundertree. It kind of… protected us, in a way. So I need to thank you.'

'Don't worry about it,' Daran replied, but his smile widened. 'I'm glad that I could be of some small help to you. Honestly, I'm just relieved to see you return safely.'

Mialee nodded. She was glad, too. There were a lot of moments in the past few weeks where things could have ended badly. But despite all that, she was still alive. She even had some hope for her lost clan. That was more than what she started with in that prison.

Fate really was a strange thing. Mialee let her gaze travel across the orchard as she thought about it. If she hadn't chased that deer, the humans would not have arrested her and thrown her in prison. She never would have met the group. And she never would have met Daran, either. Even though he was only half elf, she felt… at ease around him. It had been a long time since she'd felt at ease anywhere.

'You seem to have taken quite a liking to my orchard,' Daran keenly noted as he saw her looking around.

'Yeah, I… I guess I have. This place is very calming.'

'It does have that effect,' the man in front of her smiled. Daran leaned over to one of the nearest apple trees, bumping into it with his shoulder. It was just enough to make two apples fall down from the tree. He caught them in his hands without even looking. His gaze was still locked with Mialee's. With a smile and a wink, Daran handed one of the apples to her. The brown-haired elf blushed as she accepted it.

'You are welcome here anytime, Mialee.'

* * *

After delivering Nezznar to the Phandalin prison, Nala had split off from the group to find some time for herself. Her feet led her to a barren patch in Quelleen's farmland. She sat down and closed her eyes. The sun on her scales felt good. Being underground for so long had almost made her forget how good it felt. Around her, birds chirped in the trees. A small breeze blew by. It was… tranquil. Peaceful.

As she sat there, Nala turned inward and took a very long, hard look at herself. She wasn't happy with what she saw. So much had been on her mind down there. So much anger. Alatar had stoked the flames until they had grown so large that she lost control over her own emotions.

' _I will kill him. The next time I see him, I will fucking kill him.'_

A sense of shameful guilt came over Nala. She really had lost her cool. The wizard had stoked the flames, but the fire was already there. To take that out on Alatar, as frustrating as he could be… wasn't fair. The Dragonborn was being too hot-headed. She had lost her focus on her Oath. Nala had promised to shelter the light against those who would render it barren. But that was not the part of her vows that mattered the most. She meditated on the words, letting them resound inside of her once again.

' _Kindle the light. Preserve your own light. And most of all: Be the light.'_

Nala nodded to herself. The Dragonborn had been out of line. She had to calm down. She had to rethink her actions and act properly according to her Oath. The paladin realized that, in a way, her past had led her to be too hot-headed and emotional. She'd known that before… but had never thought she'd be confronted with it this much. Not until her current band of companions came along. They were a weird bunch. Nala truly hadn't expected to meet a group of people that would, even unknowingly, confront her on so many aspects of her own past and personality. She hadn't expected to handle it so badly, either.

Alatar really had been right back then. Both of them- no, all of them had a lot to work on and better about themselves. Including Nala. The Dragonborn sighed, silently coming to her own conclusions.

She still had a long way to go. But there was always a way forward. And this time, that way started with an apology.

She would take that first step as soon as she had the chance.

* * *

'Hey – isn't that Mialee?'

Echo cracked an eye open from her sunbathing time on the roof to glance down to the street below. Yorda was right. Mialee came dashing by, not bothering to look around her as she sprinted off towards… something. A weird elf, that one. In a good way. Echo was strangely content with her current company. It was a pleasant change from the usual suspicion and prejudiced stares.

Echo glanced at Yorda from the corner of her eye. She was sitting to her left, looking up at the clouds in the sky. That one was weird, too. In a different way.

Come to think of it, she'd been acting weirder than normal down in those caves. The Tiefling brought over her tail, poking her on her left shoulder to get her to look the wrong way. It didn't work. Yorda turned her way immediately.

'Hey. You were acting pretty weird down there. Different than normal, I mean. Was something the matter?'

The small half-elf just looked at Echo with that blank expression of her. Echo half expected no answer to come out at all. That's what she was used to. But Yorda surprised her. The pale half-elf turned away from her and looked at the sky.

'Around… sixty moons ago, I encountered an earth elemental roaming the span of a small ravine. It was causing light tremors. We- I thought that it was using them to communicate, and tried to do the same.'

A frown appeared on Echo's face. She kept silent, letting Yorda continue.

'It attacked us. Separated me from… from a friend. It chased me to the edge of the ravine and caused a rock slide that buried me alive. It took me two days to claw my way back out. Ever since then, I've been really… really afraid of going underground.'

Her hands, clasped onto the edge of the rooftop, were trembling slightly. For a moment, Echo didn't know how to respond. The story was still processing in her mind. And then she realized. They had been inside those mines for _days_. They had fought countless monsters in a ruined mine that could have collapsed at any moment. And Yorda never told any of them.

'You… you did a really good job, then,' the Tiefling finally stammered. The weight of what she'd just learned instantly became clear to her. Yorda had revealed a weakness. A real, very exploitable weakness. Echo never revealed anything. To anyone. Ever. But this weird elf trusted her enough to share a very personal secret. And without expecting anything in return.

That had never happened before.

'We need to celebrate,' the Tiefling finally said.

'Celebrate?'

'Fuck, yeah. We could have died a million times over in the past three weeks. And we're still alive. Mostly. If that isn't cause for a fucking celebration, then I don't know what is.'

She nodded at the small half-elf, who was looking up at her in confusion.

'What should we do?'

'Oh, I don't know. Get drunk, I suppose. Or we could go to Neverwinter. Oh, I know! We should go to the beach. We can turn you into a giant dolphin and go swimming, or something. That sounds like fun.'

'I have never seen a dolphin,' Yorda replied cautiously.

'Well, shit. Then we'll go to the fish market and see if they've got one for sale.'

'A fish market?'

'Hell, you really haven't been around town much, have you?' the Tiefling smirked. 'Don't worry. I'll make sure you don't get robbed.'

Echo was mostly joking around. But a part of her was sincere, and really wanted to go. Over the past few weeks, in a weird way, she'd come to respect the little half-elf. She wanted to show her the city and its wonders, and see Yorda's reaction. Echo hadn't felt like sharing part of herself with anyone in a long, long time.

But now, she wanted to.

* * *

Back in the Phandalin prison block, Alatar had bullied the guards away from Nezznar's cell. A chair, previously put next to the exit, was now standing directly in front of the bars. Alatar was sitting on it, leaning against the wall, eating an apple. He threw the core into the cell. It bounced off against Nezznar's chest, who stood right behind the bars.

'What do you want from me, wizard?' he growled at Alatar. His previous grin had faded into a frustrated scowl when he saw Alatar enter. The wizard took his time to answer, fishing another apple out of his pocket.

'We never finished our conversation,' he finally said, taking a large bite.

'What conversation?'

'Oh, don't play dumb. You know exactly what conversation I'm talking about.'

He leaned forward on his chair. His eyes, once again hidden beneath his hood, gleamed with a strange curiosity.

'You're going to tell me who you're working for.'

 **-End-**


	22. To write, or not to write

**Hello, everyone!**

It's been a while, but my group has started a new campaign and we are slowly, sloooooooowly, reaching something that looks like an overarching storyline. Our DM has made his own version of Faerun and is currently flying solo, on his own creative ideas. We usually can only meet once a month or so though, so the adventure is very slow-paced at the moment.

I was wondering – would you be interested in a new chapter of Idjit?

Let me know in the comments. =)

-Yimi


	23. CAMPAIGN 2: Prologue - Once an idiot

_Thank you for the responses! I'm happy to hear that people enjoyed our shenanigans as much as we did. ^.^_

 _I don't want to catch up to where we are in the campaign too quickly, though, so it may be a while in between chapters. The LMoP were mostly for everyone to get a feel for the game, and for the DM to figure out how much he could throw at us without us dying off horribly. Now that we're all a bit more experience, everyone's backgrounds and a larger plotline are slowly starting to come into view (I am SO excited for this. Like you wouldn't believe. xD)._

 _Of course, having some experience under our belt does not make us any less of a group of munchkins._

 _Or keep us from making stupid decisions._

 _Naturally._

* * *

 **Prologue – Once an idiot…**

* * *

'You are welcome here anytime, Mialee.'

The brown-haired elf blushed, looking down at the ground in order to avoid eye contact with Daran. She had just come up here to thank him for the branches, but the situation had taken a… weird turn. Mialee wasn't sure what to do with herself. So she just stared at the ground, blushing.

It didn't take Daran too long to catch on to her awkwardness. He chuckled, quickly dialling back on the flirting.

'I suppose you'll be leaving Phandalin soon, then? Will you return to the woods?'

Oh, right! She hadn't told him about her findings yet. Mialee gave him a single nod.

'I think so. During our travels, we found the... the remains of one of my lost clanmembers. He was killed not long before we found him.'

'I… I'm so sorry, Mialee,' Daran replied.

'Thank you. But Yorda told me that finding him was a good thing. Because it means that others might have made it out alive, too. I may not be the only one left, after all.'

She said that to him with a big, hopeful smile on her face. It seemed to catch Daran off guard for a second. Then he gave her a knowing nod.

'That is wonderful news, if it is true. I assume that you'll go looking for them, then? Will you leave immediately?'

'No, I don't think so,' the green-eyed elf answered. 'I wouldn't know where to start looking. And we all just came back from a dangerous assignment. I think I'd like to stay in Phandalin for a while.'

As soon as Mialee said that, Daran's eyes began to sparkle. He made a small gesture with his hand, as if he was about to reach out to her. Then he caught himself and coughed.

'I'm sure we'd all like that. You should all stay until tomorrow night, at least.'

'Tomorrow night?' Mialee asked with a confused expression on her face. 'What's going to happen tomorrow?'

'Why, a festival in your honour, of course!'

* * *

As Alatar moved to leave Town Hall, he was stopped by the mayor's assistant.

'Wait! We have something for you.'

'If it is anything other than gold, I don't want it,' the wizard grunted.

'It's a letter, actually. From that young man that worked at Barthen's Provisions for a while. Meek Everheart was his name, I believe.'

'Meek?' Alatar replied. He wasn't too interested in the boy, but he remembered his previous proposal to him. Alatar had offered Meek to join their group and turn him into an adventurer. Meek had promised to think about it. After that, they went to Thundertree and Wave Echo Cave, and so they never got to hear his answer.

'Why doesn't he just talk to us directly?' the wizard asked, with one eyebrow raised. The woman shook her head at him.

'Mister Everheart left Phandalin a couple of days ago, long before your arrival. I believe he has returned to Neverwinter.'

Alatar took the letter, looking down on it in silence for a while. Then he stashed the letter in his robes and walked out, not bothering to thank the woman. In the slightly setting afternoon sun, the wizard started to make his way back to the Stonehill Inn.

* * *

'…so you need to make sure to check the plant's leaves. If they're blue on the bottom, you have the right one.'

'And then I get the berries near the top?' Echo asked, her tail swishing back and forth behind her. She and Yorda were still sitting on the roof of Toblen's inn, enjoying the sunlight. Yorda shook her head.

'No, those are poisonous. You take the ones closest to the ground, near the stalk. I don't know what you could possibly use them for, though. They have no medicinal value.'

'Oh, you can leave that to me,' Echo smiled deviously. Yorda raised a single eyebrow, but chose not to ask questions. At that moment, a familiar voice rang out from beneath them.

'Hey, you two! I've got a delivery from Town Hall.'

They peeked over the edge of the rooftop to see Alatar standing near the tavern's entrance. He was waving at them with a single letter clutched in his hand.

'What, are you playing delivery boy now?' Echo grinned.

'Don't make me throw this in the gutter. I was at the Town Hall to get our gold, and they gave me a letter from Meek to everyone.'

'Oh, Meek?' Echo replied. Her teasing tone instantly vanished as she reached down. Alatar placed the letter in her outstretched fingers before walking inside.

'Don't you want to know what it-'

Too late. He was already gone. Echo shrugged and rolled back onto her back, next to Yorda. The letter was sealed with some kind of purple wax. The Tiefling undid the seal with her nails and tore open the envelope.

 _Dear friends,_

 _I hope this letter finds you well. The Sword Mountains are a dangerous place to venture into, and I pray for your safety. I waited for you all to return for as long as I could, but eventually, my contract with Barthen came to an end and I was forced to return home._

 _I remember your offer, though. If you all have time, I'd like to formally invite you to the Everheart Trading Post in Neverwinter. I want like to make all of you an offer that I think you'll find quite interesting._

 _I hope you are all in good health. Until we meet again._

 _Meek Everheart_

'The boy's got his own trading post?' Echo said, slightly impressed. 'That's new information.'

'He wants to meet with us?' Yorda asked, trying to read over her shoulder.

'Looks like it. I don't know if there still is an "us", though.'

'What do you mean?'

'Nothing. Come on, let's go get a drink. I'm in the mood to celebrate.'

* * *

That evening, everyone gathered at their usual table in Toblen's inn. Everyone but Alatar, that was. The wizard chose to retreat to his chambers, instead. His goal was to study the scrolls that he'd gotten from the chest in Thundertree. That goal was quickly foiled as his companions, who had gotten quite drunk quite fast, started chanting his name to get Alatar to come down. When the entire tavern chimed in, the wizard was forced to give up and join his group.

During all of the happy commotion, Mialee, who by now was _very_ drunk, poked Echo as she leaned into her side.

'Hey. Come wif me. Upstairs.'

'What for?' Echo asked, one eyebrow raised. The brown-haired elf grinned at her with a drunken smile, waggling her eyebrows at the Tiefling.

'It'll be fun. I promishe. Now come onnn, come with me.'

Echo seemed slightly concerned and amused at the same time. She stood up, letting her tail brush past Mialee's back as the two started making their way to the nearest stairs. Alatar watched them leave. He was sipping on a glass of grape juice, once again the only one that was not drinking. Everyone else by now was either tipsy, drunk, or on the verge of collapsing on the table.

Suddenly, Alatar felt someone tap on his shoulder. He looked behind him to see another one of the miners, raising his own glass to him.

'Cheers, friend. To staying on top in all situations.'

'I'll drink to that,' the wizard replied, clunking his own glass against his. As soon as he did, the miner joined him at his table. He had ash-coloured hair and large sideburns, ending somewhere near his jaws.

'Kowalski's the name. I work in the mines. But you probably guessed that already.'

'I did,' Alatar nodded. The man was looking at him with great interest.

'So are you one of 'dem wizardly types? Fancy magic at your fingertips and everything?'

A slight smirk spread across Alatar's face.

'Perhaps.'

That seemed to be exactly what Kowalski wanted to hear. The miner gestured over his shoulder to the stairs, where Mialee and Echo had disappeared a few moments earlier.

'Those were friends of yours, then? They get up to that kind of thing often?'

'All the time,' Alatar replied.

'You're serious? Hey, man. Do a brother a solid here. Is there any way to, like… watch?'

'Watch what?'

'You know… the two of them. Together. Upstairs. _Alone_.'

For a moment, the wizard looked at Kowalski with a completely blank expression. Then he realised the nature of his intentions.

'You're kidding me.'

'Come on, man. They're both really hot. Like, desert-climate-hot. I've always had a thing for tails, too. You've seen the rest of the girls in this backwater town. Throw me a bone here, man. Do you have anything that could-'

'Oh, for crying out loud,' Alatar complained. He snapped his fingers. A short flash of arcane energy passed from his hand to the miner. The next moment, Kowalski turned invisible.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then the miner's voice rang out from the now empty-looking seat next to him.

'No waaayyyy! Sweet! I knew I could count on you, brother!'

An invisible arm gave Alatar a hard pat on the shoulder. The wizard felt something rise up from the chair next to him and scuffle away from the table. He took a sip from his glass, not getting involved any further. In a way, it was mildly amusing.

* * *

A floor higher, Mialee and Echo had arrived at a locked door. More specifically, Echo had reached it. Mialee had stammered through the hallway like a drunken idiot, tripping over her own feet on the way there. She had definitely had one too many drinks tonight.

Business as usual. Idiots.

'So what do you want?' Echo said, looking at her companion with raised eyebrows. Mialee had a grin on her face that was somewhere between devious and drunkenly goofy. It was very amusing, in a way.

'Okay,' she said, sloppily pointing at the door next to them. 'We're gon' steal their clothes.'

'And why should I do that?'

'Come onnnn, it'll be fun in the mornin'!'

'The door is locked, in case you hadn't noticed,' Echo replied to her drunken friend. Mialee dismissed that notion with a huff.

'Well unlock ith! You're the one wif the… thieves skillsh. Thiefling.'

'You're horribly racist sometimes, you know that?'

She seemed to take it as a compliment. Then pointed at the door again. Echo shook her head with a sigh. Mialee was adamant to do… whatever it was that she'd put her drunken mind to. A little lockpicking probably couldn't hurt. With Mialee in this state, the worst that could happen was her getting yelled at after waking people up by tripping on the floor, or something. That might actually be fun to watch.

Echo shrugged, fishing her lockpicks out of her pockets. It was an easy lock. With a soft click, the door swung open to reveal another one of Toblen's guest rooms. The inside was dark. Any candles were long since blown out, and the shutters on the windows were closed. On the other side of the room, Echo could see two humanoid shapes under the covers in the bed. They weren't moving. Probably fast asleep.

And spread across the floor of the room were sets of clothing. A male's and a female's, by the looks of it. They were tossed aside carelessly, going from their shoes to a dress and trousers and ending with clumsily flung undergarments right next to the bed. Echo didn't have to be a genius to figure out what they had been up to.

'Perrfect,' Mialee whispered, as her gaze fell on the dress and trousers. She went for them. Drunkenly and with a clear tunnel vision, causing her to almost trip over the shoes on her way there. She somehow reached her target without the couple waking up. Mialee snatched the clothes from the ground, proudly presenting them to Echo as she walked back out. The Tiefling carefully closed the door behind her.

'Wonderful. You have a bunch of smelly clothes. Now what?'

'We hide'em,' the brown-haired elf grinned at her. 'Somewhere that takes 'em a long time to find. Like… the ceiling!'

'Excuse me?' Echo smirked. But the elf had already made up her mind. With the dress in one hand and the trousers in the other, she drunkenly made her way back downstairs. Echo followed at a slight distance, with an amused smile on her face. This was going to be interesting.

Back downstairs, Mialee passed Alatar and fetched her bow from the table. Both Nala and Yorda were still there, chatting happily. When they saw the elf grab for her weapon, their smiles turned into slight frowns.

'Trouble?'

'Everything's fine,' Echo reassured them from the back. 'Go back to your drinks.'

They shrugged, and did as she asked. Mialee came staggering back, nocking an arrow as she did so. By now, most of the people had either gone home or fallen asleep at their tables. It seemed to be a regular thing in this town. Only Elsa was still there, cleaning some leftover glasses. As soon as she saw Mialee aim an arrow at the ceiling, the girl groaned and facepalmed.

'Right, my shift is _done_. Good night. Don't burn the tavern down.'

And she was out the door. Didn't even look back. By now, Elsa was very well acquintained with everyone's shenanigans, and she was having none of it. The group was left alone, staring at Mialee as she fired her first arrow. She had pierced the point through the trousers, leaving a gaping hole in the back. The arrow drilled itself into one of the beams on the ceiling. Somehow, the trousers got pinned up there, too. Then Mialee did the same with the dress. It looked like a crazy version of a clothesline. Or maybe an archery match gone wrong. Knowing Mialee's usual bow skills, that second one wasn't even that farfetched.

'Do I even want to know what the hell you are doing?' Nala groaned, facepalming as well. The Dragonborn then decided, on the spot, that she did not. She got up, shaking her head at the elf.

'I'm going to bed. See you all in the morning.'

And she left. Mialee didn't seem to care. In her drunken happy-state, she aimed another arrow at the ceiling, causing both Yorda and Alatar to facepalm as well.

Idiots.


	24. Chapter 1,1 - Celebration in Phandalin

**Chapter 1 – In the Belly of the Beast**

* * *

 **1.1 – Celebration in Phandalin**

* * *

The next afternoon, the group came downstairs to an angry couple yelling at their innkeeper. Mialee and Echo, who were at the back of the group, instantly realized who it were. The brown-haired elf quickly tried to hide her bow behind her back.

'…will make sure that the guilds hear of this, mark my words! I have never experienced such humiliation in my life!'

'I am terribly sorry, sir. I apologise for any inconvenience you might have experienced-'

'Inconvenience?!' the lady yelled, her face purple with anger. 'My fine silks were nailed to your ceiling! Your _ceiling_! With an arrow, no less! My husband had to travel all the way downstairs in his undergarments to retrieve them!'

She suddenly turned towards Elsa, her messy blonde hair swishing around her face as she did so.

'And you! Wipe that smirk off your face _this instant_! How dare you!'

Elsa had been standing directly behind Toblen. Both of them knew exactly what had been the cause of this awkward scene. And although Toblen looked tremendously troubled, Elsa was having trouble keeping a straight face.

'That's it! We will not be humiliated like this for another second! I will contact the guild, and make sure that the proper authorities hear of this incompetent behaviour. This will have consequences, mark my words!'

The man grabbed his wife. In a last angry huff, they marched off towards the door. Echo and Mialee both noticed a large tear on the back of the man's pantaloons, revealing part of his buttocks. The Tiefling snickered. This was turning out even better than expected.

'Oh, a clothes thief?' Mialee stammered, a shifty grin on her face. 'Who, heh, who would do something like that?'

Toblen raised a single eyebrow at her. He gave her a long stare, eyeing the bow that was sticking out behind her back.

'Oh, yes. I have just no idea who that could POSSIBLY have been,' he finally said sarcastically. Nala once again facepalmed.

'I am so sorry. Please, I'll pay for any damages that my companions might have caused,' she said, digging around in her pockets for coin. Toblen shook his head with a wry smile.

'Forget it. You all have done a great service to the town… and there's no amount of gold that can fix a tarnished reputation, I'm afraid.'

The Dragonborn tried to pay anyway. She placed a heap of gold coins on the counter. A rather large heap, actually – Elsa's eyes grew wide when she saw the wealth stacked up in front of her. It was probably much more than they were used to seeing. Even Toblen looked surprised. Then he coughed, accepting the money.

'W-well. That… definitely helps. Thank you. I appreciate it.'

The two went on with their morning routine. Elsa brought the group some fresh water and breakfast, and they all enjoyed a meal together.

Afterwards, a short silence fell between them.

'So… what are everyone's plans from here on out?' Nala finally asked. Almost right away, Echo stood up from the table.

'No, let's not go there. I'm not joining you on another suicide mission.'

'I wasn't implying-'

'Let's just enjoy a day off, all right?' the Tiefling said to the group. 'Before we talk about any future plans. Let's just take a fucking break. For a day. We can all go our separate ways tomorrow, for all I care. So let's just relax today.'

She did have a point. At that moment, Elsa re-joined them from behind the counter. Apparently, she'd been listening in to their conversation.

'Well of course you can't leave now! We're almost done with the preparations.'

'What preparations?' Yorda asked curiously. Elsa flashed her a big smile.

'We're holding a small festival in your honour. It should be all set up in a few more hours.'

'Daran mentioned something like that yesterday,' Mialee nodded to her. That seemed to annoy both Alatar and Echo.

'Well if you knew, why didn't you fucking mention anything last night?'

'Last night I was busy shooting – I mean I was DEFINITELY not shooting anything. At all.'

'Riiiiight,' the wizard replied in a sarcastic tone. He wasn't the only one – virtually everyone still present in the tavern did not seem to believe her. Mialee just smiled sheepishly.

'Anyway. If we're taking the day off before deciding on anything, then I'm going to take some time with those scrolls from Venomfang.'

He got up, beginning to walk towards the stairs. Halfway there, though, Alatar turned back around. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the group.

'Don't. Disturb. Me.'

Mialee and Echo gave each other a quick smirk as Alatar walked up the stairs. The rest of the group finished up their breakfasts, as well. For a moment, they all looked at each other. Unsure of what to do next.

Then it didn't matter anymore. The tavern door opened, and a very familiar figure walked inside. Pinkish blond hair that fell over her shoulders. A lute, casually swung over the length of her back. Her emerald eyes did a quick scan of the room before they fell on the group's table, after which the half-elf let out a surprised squeal.

' _Telyn_?!' Nala yelled at her, just as surprised. The pink-haired bard ran over to their table.

'I'm so glad to see all of you!'

'Where the hell did you disappear off to?' Echo asked, one eyebrow raised. 'We haven't seen you since before we went to Thundertree!'

She was right. One afternoon, Telyn had simply vanished. Everyone had spread across town to take care of business, leaving the pink-haired girl alone in the tavern. When they returned, she was gone. The group had assumed she, too, was doing errands. But Telyn never returned to the tavern. They searched for her for a while. Without success. Eventually, they were forced to leave her behind and head to Thundertree without her.

'I am so sorry, everyone,' Telyn blurted out. 'I intended to leave a message, I really did! But I accidentally put the note in my pocket instead of leaving it on the counter for you all. I didn't realize that until I was already far away from Phandalin.'

'I thought that you'd gotten kidnapped again,' Yorda mumbled. The pale half-elf wasn't making any eye contact with Telyn. She stubbornly looked down at the ground.

'I think we all feared that,' Nala said with a small smile. 'It's good to see you in one piece, Telyn. Welcome back.'

'You all look terrible!' Telyn replied, looking at their ragged appearances. 'What happened while I was gone?'

The Tiefling leaned back in her chair, shrugging.

'Oh, you know. The usual. Zombies. Bugbears and Black Spiders plotting against us. A green dragon tried to tear our limbs off. Nothing new.'

It was said in a casual tone. The pink-haired bard let a short silence fall, to see if Echo was joking. She wasn't.

'But enough about us. Where have you been? What happened to you?'

Nala grabbed the nearest chair and pulled it towards her table. She invited Telyn to sit down next to her. She did, placing her lute on the ground next to her. Elsa immediately poured her a drink, as well.

'It's a bit of a long story. But you all know that I am looking for my father, right?'

They all nodded, including Elsa and Toblen at the bar. Everyone was listening in to this conversation.

'I found a lead. Or at least, I think I did. I woke up that morning with… I guess you can call it instinct. My gut was telling me to head south. There were crows- it's a bit complicated. I meant to leave you all a note, I really did.'

'It's all right,' the Dragonborn reassured her. 'Then what happened?'

'I set off on the road south from Phandalin. I guess I should have thought about it in advance, because I forgot to pack anything to eat or drink for on the road.'

Mialee shot her a disbelieving look. Telyn just shrugged.

'I think I travelled for about a day before I started to get really, really thirsty. There was this bottle of water by the side of the road-'

'Stop it right there,' Echo interrupted her, with a stern look on her face. 'Tell me you did _not_ drink that.'

'What else was I supposed to do?' Telyn shrugged again. 'I had no water. I was thirsty! But it was probably really old water, or perhaps there was something mixed in – I don't know. I passed out after drinking it.'

By now, both Echo and Mialee were facepalming. They were almost hesitant to ask what happened next. But Telyn continued, determined to tell the whole story.

'I woke up on a cart en route to Bannockburn. A kind old man found me and decided to take me with him before something worse did. I spent the night recovering in an inn there.'

'If that's all, then why didn't you come back after that?' Nala asked with raised eyebrows. 'You've been gone for _weeks_ , Telyn.'

The pink-haired girl awkwardly scratched the back of her head. A slight blush spread to her cheeks.

'I would have come back! But my purse got stolen that following morning. And I hadn't paid the innkeeper for my room yet. Or the bath. Or the dinner and breakfast courses.'

'Let me guess. He made you work in that inn to pay off your debt.'

'Something like that,' Telyn nodded to Echo. 'Maybe not… exactly.'

'What do you mean, "not exactly"?'

'At first, the innkeeper tried to direct me to the local, umm, house of vices. The owner there and the innkeeper of Bannockburn know each other, apparently.'

'Wait, wait, wait,' Echo interrupted her. 'They made you work in a brothel?'

By now, the Tiefling was smirking deviously. The blush on Telyn's cheeks worsened as the pink-haired bard methodically removed the wrinkles from her sleeves.

'I- I wasn't working as a… as a you-know-what! They hired me to play ambient music, in case you were- in case you were getting the wrong idea!'

'Of _course_ they did,' the Tiefling smirked. 'So then what? Did you do that until you had enough money to make it back?'

'That's about the gist of it, yes,' Telyn replied. She still looked a bit flustered. It sounded like it had really been quite the ordeal to get back here. As the pink-haired girl let out a long sigh, she was approached by Toblen. He looked down on her, and her lute, with interest.

'That reminds me. I was wondering if we could hire you to play for us one more time? We have a few musicians lined up for the festival, but some of them are… well, it would set my mind at ease to know that we have at least _one_ capable performer among them.'

Telyn flashed him a big smile. She went for her lute immediately.

'Of course! I would love to. Where should I go? When should I play?'

'I'll explain the details on the way there. Come with me, please.'

She got up, and Toblen started to lead her outside. The rest of the group was left awkwardly looking at one another. Eventually, Mialee was the one that spoke up.

'So… how did this tie into her going to find her father?'

'Beats me,' Echo replied. 'It's not often that you hear of a parental search ending with working in a brothel.'

They all shrugged. Telyn was a weird one.

* * *

 _The group took some well-deserved time off as the town of Phandalin prepared for the upcoming festival. Tables and crates were dragged all across the tiny town, until a makeshift stage had been formed in the center. Barthen and his assistant were hanging up strings of little glowing beads. Quelleen, the halfling chicken farmer, was lugging around giant barrels of ale by herself. Nala quickly offered to help out. With the combined help of (part of) the group, it did not take long for the preparations to come to a close._

 _That evening…_

* * *

All of Phandalin's townspeople had gathered in the center of town, where a makeshift stage had been beautifully decorated. Telyn, who had made friends with the other performers, was standing at the ready behind Harbin Wester.

The mayor had put on his best, most luxurious-looking overcoat for the occasion. He coughed loudly a couple of times, trying to get the crowd's attention. No success. They just kept talking. Apparently the local townsfolk respected the man just as much as team Idjit did.

Eventually, Sildar raised his arm to shush the crowd, instead. To him, they did listen. Harbin glared at the grey-haired human from the corner of his eyes. There was definitely some animosity going on there. Then Harbin coughed again and began to speak.

'People of Phandalin. We have gathered here today to celebrate the liberation of Tresendar Manor and the town from the vile occupation of the Redbrand ruffians. We are also free from the constant goblin threats from Neverwinter Woods. Splendid achievements, in which I have played no small part!'

A few murmurs went through the crowd. Everyone in the group threw sideways glances at each other as Harbin said that. They knew exactly how helpful he had been. Harbin must have seen their stares, because he hastily continued.

'Of course, some small part of these achievements is also thanks to our… merry band of adventurers here. Yes, yes, well done, all of you. Good! Moving on. Now the time has come to talk about the future of this town, and the mayor's planned relocation to the manor of-'

'Oh, shut up already!' Mialee called out from the back of the crowd. 'Get to the drinking!'

She had snagged a mug of ale from one of the loaded tables, and was already looking tipsy. Her shout was met with approving laughter. Harbin puffed out his chest in indignation.

'Silence, you! I am the mayor of Phandalin, and I will finish my-'

'FREE DRINKS FOR EVERYONE!' Narn the miner yelled. His outburst was met with various cries of approval from the others in the crowd. Laughter resounded throughout the square. Behind Harbin, the musicians began to play on Telyn's command. Casks of ale were broken open. The mayor eventually just gave up.

'Fine, then. Let the festival begin. _Ingrates_.'

* * *

And begin it did. Before too long, everyone had a mug of ale in hand. Telyn had guided the other musicians into playing a chipper, upbeat melody that worked like a charm on everyone's festive spirits. Couples grabbed each other and made their way over to a small clearing in front of the stage. They started to dance, ale still in hand. Before too long, the square was filled with dancing people. And booze. It was a wonderful combination. Telyn played the crowd like puppets, a large smile on her face.

Off to the side, Echo was enjoying a glass of slime in the coconut at one of the tables. Her spiked tail rhythmically moved back and forth on the beat of the music. She was enjoying herself.

From the corner of her eyes, the Tiefling saw someone approach. Her dark hair gleamed in the evening sunlight. Halia Thornton stopped right next to Echo's table, raising her glass in celebration.

'To profitable endings,' Halia smiled at Echo. The Tiefling mimicked her smile, raising her own glass as well.

'To profitable endings.'

They drank, sharing a short moment of solidarity. Then Halia lowered her glass again. Her eyes scanned over Echo with clear interest.

'You have pulled off quite the accomplishment, Angelica.'

'I try,' Echo replied. With a wary smile, she scanned the woman in front of her as well. There was something about Halia that made all of her senses go on alert. The two kept eye contact, both trying to gauge the other's intentions. Eventually, Halia broke eye contact with a chuckle.

'I'm impressed. You have quite the game face.'

'Again, I try.'

'I like your type. Know that you can always do business with me, Angelica.'

There was something in Halia's tone of voice that instantly made Echo realize what kind of business she was referring to. It was the kind of tone that the Tiefling was intimately familiar with. So she just nodded, raising her glass to Halia a second time.

'As can you. If you need me in the future… you'll know where to find me.'

Halia's smile widened. She gave Echo a last nod, before vanishing back into the crowd. The Tiefling went back to drinking by herself. In her head, she mulled over the new opportunity that had just opened up for her.

Interesting.

* * *

'Hey, Alatar. Do you have a minute?'

The wizard looked up from his drink in surprise to see Nala standing in front of him. The paladin had taken off her shiny armour for the festival. She was still radiant, what with her golden scales, but slightly less so.

'What do you want?' Alatar replied. Nala hesitated. For a moment, she seemed to be in conflict with herself. Then the Dragonborn found her determination.

'I've been meaning to apologise to you.'

'Oh?' Alatar replied.

'Yes. The way I've been treating you is not… not fair. Granted, you haven't been the easiest person to deal with, Alatar. You are incredibly skilled at… stoking the flames, so to speak. But my reaction to that was a bit too extreme.'

'I believe you threatened to kill me,' the wizard dryly stated.

'Yes. I have come to realise that I am more hotheaded than is appropriate for a paladin. It is a flaw that I was already aware of, but I didn't think that I'd meet a group that would confront me with it so much. You have a lot to better about yourself, as well. But that should not be a reason for you to fall subject to situations like that. I should not have lashed out at you like I did. And for that, I apologise.'

For the first time in a while, Alatar made eye contact with Nala. He looked up at her, his expression completely blank. But the gears were turning in his head. Eventually Alatar nodded, accepting her apology. The tension that had built between them flowed away. Nala sighed. A large weight seemed to lift off her shoulders.

'Thank you. Enjoy the festival, wizard.'

The words were sincere, without any form of malice. After a short contemplation, Alatar returned the favour.

'You too, paladin.'

* * *

Not long after Alatar had parted ways with Nala, the wizard once again felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see a familiar beardy face. Kowalski the miner, still in the same raggedy outfit that all the other miners were in, was staring right at him with a grin on his face.

'There you are, brother. I've been looking for you.'

'Oh, you again,' Alatar replied. 'I trust you had fun?'

'Not at all, man! They didn't do a damn thing! Such a waste of time.'

He looked frustrated for just a moment. The next second, his grin was back.

'There's a guaranteed chance of action now, though. Can you help a brother out just one more time?'

'With what?'

'Invisibility, of course! I told you I had a thing for tails! And the number of them just doubled! You gotta let me cop a feel!'

It dawned on Alatar that Kowalski was referring to Nala. Nala the paladin. The Dragonborn paladin. This was not going to end well.

'Are you sure that you want to risk that?' he asked. Kowalski nodded, with an excited, almost feverish look on his face.

'Sometimes you just gotta live on the edge, man. Come on. Throw me a bone here.'

'Your funeral,' the wizard just shrugged. He snapped his fingers, causing Kowalski to once again turn completely invisible. As Alatar tried to go back to his drink, he could feel a meaty hand clasp onto his shoulder a third time.

'No, no, no. You gotta go with me, man. You gotta have my back in this. We're brothers.'

'I am not related to you in any way whatsoever.'

'You know what I mean, man! Please? Come on, help me out here.'

The wizard let out a long, drawn out sigh. If he refused, Kowalski would just keep nagging him all night. He was that type of person. On the other hand, seeing that paladin getting flustered again might be an amusing way to spend the evening. Even if it ended with a decapitated miner. Alatar shrugged as he downed his drink and got up.

'She should be over that way. I think she's talking to that farmer woman.'

'Thanks, bro! Wish me luck!'

'Yeah, good luck,' Alatar grinned. Then, as the invisible Kowalski made his way towards the eastern table, Alatar slowly stepped backwards and vanished into the crowd.

* * *

Over at one of the tables, Nala was having a pleasant conversation with Quelleen when, all of a sudden, she felt something brush past the tip of her tail. She instinctively pulled it around her, turning her head to see who had bumped into her. But there was nobody there. The area behind them was empty.

Strange. Maybe it had just been her imagination?

At that moment, the Halfling next to her suddenly let out a squeal. She jumped up from her chair, her eyes wide with shock. Quelleen looked behind her in confusion.

'What's wrong?' Nala asked.

'It just- it felt like- it felt like someone just touched my bottom!'

The Dragonborn's eyes narrowed. Something was weird. Maybe that tug on her tail hadn't just been her imagination, after all. And there was only one person that was known for his ability to go invisible.

Nala rose up from her seat, a trail of smoke rising up from her nostrils.

'ALATAR!'

Three rows behind them, the wizard retreated even further into the crowd. With a large grin on his face.

* * *

Mialee and Yorda were sitting slightly apart from the crowd, both with a mug in hand. The two elves weren't used to this sheer level of… people. While Mialee looked slightly uncomfortable, Yorda was scanning the crowd with great interest.

'Hey, it's Elsa.'

The barmaid was standing at a table by herself. She was looking at the couples dancing near the stage. Outgoing as she was, it wasn't like her to stay on the sidelines. Elsa kept glancing around, almost as if she was waiting for someone. Nobody came to meet her, though. It was a little sad to watch.

'Should we go talk to her? She looks a bit sad.'

But Mialee wasn't paying attention anymore. She had seen Daran on the other side of the dancefloor, talking with Sildar Hallwinter. Her attention was instantly focused on him.

'I, uh, I'll be back,' the brown-haired elf said to Yorda. She gave her mug of ale to the half-elf and began to make her way over to Daran. Yorda stayed behind by herself. She didn't mind. Observing was something that she loved to do.

* * *

'Mialee,' Daran smiled, as soon as he saw her approach. 'I am glad to see you could make it.'

'It would be rude to leave,' the brown-haired elf shrugged. 'They prepared this in our honour, after all.'

The half-elf gave her an approving nod. He, too, wasn't in his regular farming wear. Daran wore a deep blue tunic, made of fine silks and strands of gold thread. An ornate belt adorned his waist, and his silvery hair was combed back in a delicate manner. His entire getup had an incredibly elegant feel to it. To anyone with a keen eye, it was clear that Daran had put forth a particular effort into his appearance tonight.

'Have you spoken to your companions yet?' he asked her. Mialee shook her head.

'No, not yet. We're… taking a break before deciding on what to do next. It has been a harsh couple of weeks.'

'I don't doubt that,' Daran nodded. 'You'll stay with that group, then?'

The brown-haired elf frowned at him, glancing at the many people around her.

'Honestly… I don't know. There might not even be a group left tomorrow morning. I don't know if we'll stay together, or all split up. We were- we got put together out of necessity. Because of a threat. Now that the threat is gone, I don't know what will happen next.'

Her frown deepened. This was clearly bothering her. Daran studied her face, coming to a conclusion of his own.

'You hesitate about whether you should leave to search for your clan or not.'

It was remarkably intuitive of him. Mialee nodded, swallowing to repress her feelings of unease. She broke eye contact with Daran, looking down to the ground.

'If I stay here, or go with the group, I might never find my clan. But if I leave, I'll be alone.'

Her voice slunk down to a murmur.

'I don't want to be alone anymore.'

Daran's ears picked up on that anyway, even with all of the surrounding noise. He placed a single hand on her shoulder.

'Mialee. You don't have to be alone if you don't want to.'

Slowly, she glanced up at him. Daran was looking down on her with a warm smile. As if Telyn could read his thoughts, the pink-haired bard suddenly yelled out:

'All right, everyone! It's time for some romance! So grab your secret love interest and bring them to the dancefloor, because this is the only chance you'll get!'

She gestured to the rest of the musicians. They began to play a slow, very sweet-sounding ballad. Daran let a short silence fall. Then he made an elegant bow towards Mialee, his hand outstretched.

'Would you do me the honour of a dance?'

A pink blush spread across Mialee's cheeks. That pink turned to a dark purple when she saw Telyn make eye contact with her – and wink. She'd done this on purpose. That nosy bard. But in a way, it made Mialee happy, too. She took hold of Daran's outstretched hand and let him lead her off to the dancefloor.

The two began to slowdance. Daran placed his arm around Mialee's waist, touching the small of her back with his fingers. It was embarrassing… but strangely fun. They slowly swirled around on the dancefloor, moving back and forth on the rhythm of Telyn's music.

Eventually, Daran once again addressed his dancing partner.

'I can't tell you what to do, Mialee. You'll have to decide for yourself if you stay or go. But when you make a decision, make sure that it is what you really want to do.'

The brown-haired elf gave a single nod.

'I know,' she said softly. 'It's just… difficult.'

'I understand. I was an adventurer, too, back in the day. I know very well what kind of difficult choices that occupation comes with.'

He leaned in, lifting up her face by the chin.

'Just remember that you are always welcome in my orchard. I enjoy having you around, Mialee. With or without the flute.'

That made her chuckle. The two made eye contact for a second. Then time seemed to slow down and Daran leaned in and softly, delicately, placed a kiss on her lips.

They stayed like that for quite some time, until Telyn's ballad finally came to an end. Mialee slowly stepped away from Daran. Her eyes were again aimed at the ground.

'I… I'll talk it over with the group,' she muttered. Daran nodded at her with a smile. She took a few more steps backwards, after which the tall half-elf put up his hand.

'Please, you don't have to end our dance on my account. The night is still young, after all.'

It was true. The sun had only just vanished behind the hilltops. Telyn and her cohorts had started playing another song, slightly more upbeat this time. Daran stepped forward, grasping Mialee's hand again.

'Would you care to join me for another dance?'

A smile appeared on her face as Mialee nodded.

'All right.'


	25. Chapter 1,2 - Onward to Neverwinter

**1.2 - Onward to Neverwinter**

* * *

That night, the group talked. In a rare exception, everyone passed on more drinks for the night. It did not take them long to make their intentions clear. Most of the group wished to return to Neverwinter. Their reasons were their own. They soon came to the conclusion that they might as well travel together, if they were all going the same way anyway.

At that moment, Echo pulled out Meek's letter. She read it out loud to the group. They quickly came to a decision after that. They'd all travel to Neverwinter, the place where their journey had begun. They'd see what Meek had to offer them, as a final adventure together. After that, most of the group would probably return to their own business.

Many goodbyes were said that morning, both between Nala and Quelleen and between Mialee and Daran. The half-elf wasn't happy to see her leave. But he accepted Mialee's decision, once again assuring her that she would always have a place in his orchard to return to.

* * *

They set out for Neverwinter not long after that. It was a wonderful morning, with blue skies and a sweet ocean breeze blowing against their backs. On days like this, the Sword Coast was absolutely beautiful. The group found themselves enjoying the peaceful change of pace.

At the front of the group, Yorda and Nala were walking together. The pale half-elf was, once again, drilling the Dragonborn with questions about her biology.

'…that how it happened? But if that's it, then how come you don't have the wings, as well? Or is that something that is purely meant for dragons?'

'No, some of us can have wings,' Nala replied through clenched teeth. 'And we did not descend from dragons! Honestly, when are you going to give this a rest? I'm not asking you weird questions about your heritage, am I?'

'Well, no, but yours is much more interesting! Wouldn't you be a little curious if you were me? Wouldn't you?'

The Dragonborn let out a long, drawn-out sigh. This was never going to end. A row behind her, Alatar and Echo were both smirking, highly amused. Mialee and Telyn brought up the rear. They were meant to be keeping an eye on the road behind them. But the weather was so nice that the brown-haired elf was more occupied with the sky. So was the rest – it kind of felt like a vacation. The weather was perfect, and there was not another creature in sight. They all had their guard down. They were enjoying themselves, even Nala.

So when a weird reptile-like chicken beast came dashing out of the shrubs to their left, nobody reached for their weapons. Yorda titled her head, looking at the weird creature with interest.

'Is that a chicken?' she asked curiously.

'It's way too big to be a chicken,' Nala replied. The thing was completely featherless, with a long lizard-like tail scraping on the ground behind it. Its arms ended in two pointy, bat-like wings. They were almost leathery. Its beak was parted and it was hissing loudly at the group, clearly riling itself up.

'Shoo!' Alatar yelled at the weird chicken. It did not seem to appreciate that. Its hiss got even louder. The bushes behind it rustled. A worried frown appeared on Nala's face when three more chicken-like beasts jumped out onto the road.

Then, without warning, they pounced.

'Watch out!' Mialee yelled at Alatar. Too late. The closest monster went right for him. The wizard tried to dodge out of the way, but he wasn't fast enough. It bit down onto his arm, tearing into the flesh under his robes. The beak was sharp enough to instantly draw blood. Alatar let out a scream, scratching at the beast that had latched on to him. He wasn't strong enough to yank it off.

But someone else was. Mialee reacted the fastest out of everyone. She grabbed the weird chicken and yanked with all of her strength. It came loose from Alatars arm, pulling parts of his flesh with it as it raked the sharp edges of its beak through the wound on the way out. It looked incredibly painful. But the wizard was free. Nala quickly positioned herself in front of him.

The other monster-chickens did not take long to pounce, either. Two of them bounced off against Nala's shield and a third raked across Yorda's ankle as the half-elf quickly jumped out of its range. Drops of blood splattered against the ground. Echo reacted by blasting a hole through the critter's wing. It let out a horrible screech. That only seemed to anger it more. It pounced again.

From behind them, a pained voice suddenly cried out.

'Aaaaaaghhhh!'

It was Alatar's voice. The wizard was hunched over, clasping his wounded arm. Something was happening to the wound. The skin around it was rapidly turning a deep shade or grey, hardening and cracking.

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

And then it became clear just how bad their situation was. As the rest of the group looked on in horror, the grey mass rapidly spread throughout his entire arm. Then his chest. Then his neck. Alatar's body convulsed in pain… and then stopped. His expression was frozen in fear as the wizard turned to stone.

'Alatar?!' Nala screamed, panicking. Another reptile-like chicken jumped against her shield. It missed her exposed fingers by only an inch.

'Fuck, fuck! Don't let them touch you!'

Arrows missed the little monsters and fell into the sand. They were too quick and too close to them to aim properly. Mialee let out a curse and reached for her swords. Together with Nala, she started hacking away. Even though they looked like creepy chickens, these things were no pushovers. They had to form a circle around Alatar, backs towards him, to keep the things from attacking anyone from behind.

'Aim for the wings!' Echo yelled at the group.

'Is that a weak spot?!' Telyn replied.

'No! But it pisses them off!'

'That's not helping!'

One of the monsters got splattered against Nala's shield, just as another fell to Mialee's blades. There were only two left. The larger one of the two pounced Telyn, beak open in a furious screech.

'Overgrown turkey!' the bard yelled. She swung her rapier forward, driving it right into its chest. It went down screaming.

The smaller one of the two used the momentary distraction to once again try and worm itself through the circle. It got halfway before Echo caught it, grabbing it around its leathery reptile-like neck. With a truly murderous look in her eyes, she muttered a single word. The monster's body convulsed with a painful screech as 250 volts of electrical energy were driven through, frying all of its innards. The beast fell on the ground with a dull _thud_ , never to rise again.

They were dead.

And Alatar was turned to stone.

Almost immediately, Echo turned to Yorda. The Tiefling roughly grabbed hold of her leg and turned it, exposing her wounded ankle. It was bleeding. But that was it. There was no sign of the greyness that had taken over Alatar's body. Anywhere. As far as the eye could see, it was a normal wound.

'The fuck? Why aren't you a statue?' Echo asked. Yorda was just as confused as she was.

'I don't know.'

To their left, Telyn and Nala were inspecting Alatar's body. He was completely unresponsive. Even his robes and tome had turned to stone. The Dragonborn placed a finger on his throat to search for a heartbeat. She found none. A deep, ominous frown appeared on her face.

'Does anyone here have the magic to fix this?'

'I can try,' Yorda said softly. She walked up to Alatar and touched his petrified hand. A green arcane energy spread from her fingers to his. For a moment, he was enveloped in a soft green glow. Then the light faded… and Alatar was still the same. Frozen. Stone. With a look on his face of utter horror.

'This is beyond me,' the pale half-elf muttered.

'Fuck! Then what do we do?' Echo spoke. 'What if he's stuck like this forever?!'

'He won't stay a statue forever,' Nala growled.

'What if he will? We don't know!'

'What do we do now?' Telyn asked. Mialee looked northward, in the direction of Neverwinter.

'We bring him to town. Surely someone there must know how to fix him.'

'We can't lug a giant statue around! He must weigh a ton! And what if we accidentally drop him? He could shatter into a thousand pieces!'

The pink-haired bard had a point. Moving Alatar was out of the question. There were too many risks involved – if the wizard was even still alive.

'Then we bring the healer to him,' Yorda spoke. Her form shifted and took the shape of a white horse. She looked at Mialee. The brown-haired elf understood the intention right away. She'd practiced riding Yorda before, near the entrance to Wave Echo Cave. In a fluid motion, Mialee jumped on top of her back.

'Find Butch,' Nala ordered her. 'He'll know where the nearest cleric is that can deal with this mess. And be careful.'

They nodded, after which Yorda took off as fast as she could. Before too long, the two of them had vanished into the far distance.

Telyn, Nala and Echo were left behind. They cast glances at Alatar, unsure of what to do now. In truth, there wasn't much that they could do but wait for their companions to return. Echo kicked one of the dead reptile-chickens. They really didn't look like anything. Just a mean chicken with no feathers. Turns out that they were much more dangerous than that.

Eventually, the Tiefling turned to Nala with a grin on her face.

'So, this brings your total of murdered chickens up to how many?'

'Oh, shut up,' the Dragonborn growled.

* * *

Half an hour went by. The road they were on was sparsely travelled, and they didn't run into any other people on their way to Neverwinter. They really couldn't tell whether Alatar was alive or dead. And so, none of them was sure if they should be mourning or just impatient. Echo and Telyn had started a simple card game. They'd invited Nala to join. The Dragonborn declined. She stayed close to Alatar, her conscience not allowing her to relax. So Nala just paced. Back and forth. Back and forth.

From the far distance, a figure approached. It was in the opposite direction of Neverwinter, so it couldn't have been Yorda and Mialee. The Dragonborn squinted her eyes against the sun. It was hard to make out at this range… but it wasn't a person. It wasn't running, either.

That piqued Nala's curiosity. She watched as the figure became more clear as it drew closer and closer. It was a… deer? A stag, judging from the intricate antlers on his head. That was weird. Deer didn't just walk in the open like this. Especially not so… brazenly. There was something very strange about all of this. Nala squinted her eyes again. The stag's head looked strange. It took her a few seconds to realize that he was carrying something in his mouth. As he drew closer, she could finally make out was it was.

In his mouth, he carried a scroll.

By now, the others had become aware of him, too. Echo raised a single eyebrow as she saw the beast approach.

'Is that a fucking deer?'

'Looks like it,' Telyn shrugged. 'What do you think it wants?'

'Do I look like I'd know? It's a damn deer!'

Nala had a spell for situations like this, she realized. The Dragonborn muttered a short incantation and placed a single finger on her throat – right on the spot where her vocal cords were. It felt weird. It always did. But for the next ten minutes or so, Nala would be able to understand and speak to that stag.

It turned out to be the right thing to do. Because the deer walked right up to the three of them. He even passed them, marching up to the spot where the statue of Alatar was. He dropped the scroll in between him and Nala, staring right at the paladin. It was all incredibly weird. In a hesitant tone, Nala addressed the stag.

'H… hello? What are you?'

For a moment, nothing happened. The stag stayed completely still. Then he let out an indignant huff. If a deer could look irritated, then this one definitely did.

'Well, what do you know? You can understand me, after all. Then bringing that blasted thing all the way here was all for nothing, wasn't it? Wonderful. Just _fantastic_.'

His words were brusque, arrogant and irritated all in one. It took Nala completely by surprise.

'That… that thing?'

'Yes, you buffoon! The scroll! Why else would I carry that with me all this way? But noooo, _someone_ here can cast speak with animals _all by herself!'_

It took the Dragonborn several seconds to process that he was angry at her. A deer. He was a deer and he was angrily talking to her.

'Wait, wait,' she said, pointing at the scroll by her feet. 'So that scroll is a-'

'A scroll bearing the spell _Speak with Animals_ , yes. Wonderful observation. Top-notch, paladin.'

Telyn and Echo were looking at one another with confused expressions on their faces. From their point of view, Nala and the stag were suddenly very busy deer-grunting at each other. They couldn't make heads or tails of it. But it looked hilariously awkward.

'Okay, well, sorry for wasting your scroll then,' Nala finally said, still incredibly confused. 'So who are you? What are you doing here? And what do you want with Alatar?'

'I came to check up on him, of course. The blasted idiot. Always causing us no end of trouble, that one. My master felt a negative change in his physical condition, and sent me to check up on him. Of course the dimwit went and got himself petrified. I leave him alone for _five seconds_ , and this is what happens.'

'Your master? And that is?'

Nala was trying to keep up, she really was. But the whole situation was just absolutely ridiculous. The stag in front of her huffed again.

'His teacher, of course! Don't you even know who your own companions are?'

'Ah. I see. And I take it that you are his familiar, then?'

'Indeed! My name is Capricornicus of the Cornucopia of Cleft Cloven Clovers. Of course you know of the Cornucopia of Cleft Cloven Clovers, yes?'

'I- uh, yes. Of course.'

'Eh, I doubt that someone of _your_ calibre would qualify for that knowledge, paladin. Nevertheless. What is to be done about this idiot here?'

Nala was starting to see where Alatar got his habit of talking down to people from. It was frustrating and oddly amusing at the same time. The Dragonborn pointed behind her, in the direction of Neverwinter.

'Our friends are on their way to find a cleric that can heal him. But if you know a spell that can bring him back-'

'No, that will do. Wonderful. In that case, my work here is done. Keep that idiot safe, please. He truly is _no end of trouble_ , that one.'

'We've noticed,' Nala smiled. But the stag already stopped listening to her. He put the scroll back in his mouth and walked away, arrogantly keeping his head raised. The three of them watched as Capricornicus walked off, left the path, went around a tree… and never came back out the other side. Just like that, he was gone.

Echo walked up to her, a confused expression on her face.

'So… what the fuck just happened?'

Nala could only shake her head.

'I have no idea.'

* * *

Two hours later, a familiar white horse returned. Yorda came dashing back down the road as fast as she could, only barely paying enough attention to the figure riding her to keep him from falling off. It wasn't Mialee. On her back rode a young man with short brown hair and blue cleric robes. A single silver earring gleamed in his left earlobe. The man was holding on to Yorda's manes so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. His hair was messy and his face was locked in an expression of pure terror.

Yorda didn't look too hot either. The horse was drenched in sweat, and as soon as she saw her group in the distance, her speed started to fall. The last few feet towards them were done in a slow, shaky trot. Then her form just vanished.

'Ah!'

The cleric fell down from the horse, as he was suddenly riding nothing. He landed on top of Yorda knees-first. The pale half-elf let out a pained gasp as all the air was squeezed from her lungs.

'Owww…'

'I'm sorry!' the man blurted out. 'But a little warning next time?!'

'Yeah… sorry. I'm used to this happening.'

He hastily stood back up. His hair was still ruffled. The cleric tried his best to straighten himself out as he, very wobbly, made his way towards the group.

'All right, which one of you is in need of healing?'

Telyn, Echo and Nala all pointed towards Alatar, who was still frozen in place as a statue. With a slight frown, the cleric inspected his body.

'Had a run-in with some cockatrices, did you?'

'Cock-a-whatnow?'

'Cockatrices. The things that are lying scattered on the ground there. Nasty little buggers. They're usually not deadly, though.'

'So Alatar isn't dead, then?' Nala replied. The cleric shook his head.

'The petrification from a cockatrice's beak only lasts 24 hours, if the inflection takes root at all. Most people are strong enough to shrug it off.'

'That's good to hear,' Nala sighed. 'Thank you very much, mister…?'

'Bartholomew. And it is my pleasure. If you wait for another half a day or so, your friend should turn right back.'

'I'm not waiting here for another twelve hours,' Echo complained. 'Can't you do something to help him now?'

'Of course. That will cost you, though.'

'Yeah, sure. The pay is coming out of his pocket.'

She gestured at the petrified Alatar. Nala shot her a warning glare.

'We can pay for his recovery from the party funds. It will not be a problem.'

'All right, then. In that case, this will cost you 30 gold pieces.'

'Thirty?!'

'Restorative magic is pricey,' Bartholomew said, with an apologetic look at Echo. The Tiefling just huffed.

'Fine. Whatever. It beats having to wait here for a day until his skinny ass turns back to normal.'

The cleric nodded, accepting the gold from Nala. He stepped in front of Alatar and began his spell. Nala used the moment of preparation to cast a quick glance around her.

'Yorda, where is Mialee?'

The pale half-elf was still lying on the ground. She was soaked in sweat and still breathing heavily. With a coarse voice, she answered the Dragonborn.

'Neverwinter. I can't carry two people.'

That made sense. The elf had probably gone to Butch's tavern to wait for the others to catch up. Nala gave an approving nod and turned back towards Alatar. As Bartholomew chanted the incantation, a green light enveloped the wizard's stone form. Slowly, ever so slowly, his body turned back to flesh. His robes lost their stony texture and a breath of air escaped from his mouth. As soon as the spell completed, Alatar collapsed to the ground.

Bartholomew caught him with one hand at the last second. He was stronger than he looked.

'Whoa, there. Easy, now. Deep breaths. Organs turning back from stone is a painful experience.'

'No… shit,' Alatar gasped. The wizard looked pale, as if he was about to pass out. Bartholomew slowly lowered him down on the ground to catch his breath. Other than a confused look on his face, Alatar looked fine.

'What just happened?'

'The cockatrice turned you to stone,' Telyn said.

'How long… how long was I like that?'

'Oh, ages! We had to raid a forgotten temple and steal gems from the king of Neverwinter just so we could afford to bring you back.'

He gave Echo a blank stare.

'Oh, fine. A couple of hours. Still too long if you ask me. Yorda and Mialee went to get someone to fix your stoner. You're welcome, by the way.'

He mumbled something in response. Telyn helped him back up. The wizard still seemed a little shaky, but otherwise all right. As he dusted himself off, Echo clapped her hands in anticipation.

'Right, then! Let's continue to Neverwinter. I am just _dying_ for a bath.'

She turned around and took off, but stopped when she realized that she wasn't being followed.

'What is it this time?'

Nala just pointed at Yorda. The pale half-elf had sort of gotten up, kind of. She was heavily leaning against the Dragonborn. Her legs were shaking from the marathon that she'd just ran. Yorda was clearly at the end of her strength. Unless someone carried her, they would not be leaving this road anytime soon.

'Fucking- damn it. Fine. We'll continue in the morning.'

* * *

That night, as everyone else was asleep, Echo woke up Bartholomew. The cleric looked up at her with groggy eyes.

'What is it?'

'I need you to look at something for me.'

He got up, suppressing a large yawn.

'All right. What do you want me to look at?'

'Not here. Follow me.'

To his surprise, Echo moved away from the group and into the bushes. That was definitely unusual. Bartholomew was used to strangeness, though. So he just shrugged and followed. Echo led him behind a tree. She positioned the two of them in such a way that they couldn't be seen by the group anymore. As soon as she was sure that they were not visible, the Tiefling pulled up her shirt.

'Whoa – hey!' Bartholomew protested. He quickly covered his eyes. Echo clacked her tongue in irritation.

'It's not like that, damn it. I want you to look at my waist.'

'Oh.'

He nodded. Echo turned sideways, exposing the green spot on her side. As soon as he saw that, Bartholomew clicked back into cleric-mode. He muttered under his breath as he ran his fingers over the spot. Arcane energy flashed between his fingers. Echo could feel a warmth course through her body, in a similar fashion to what Yorda had tried a while ago. It had the same result. The spot was still there, not diminished in any way.

'This is very strange,' Bartholomew frowned. 'It doesn't seem to be causing you physical harm, yes?'

'No, I don't feel it at all. So can you get rid of it? Or tell me what it is, at least?'

He shook his head.

'I'm sorry. I have no idea what that is, or what you need to do to cleanse it. It looks… like a curse, almost.'

That was not the answer that Echo wanted. At all. Curses were very bad news.

'When did you get this?'

'During a trip to Thundertree,' Echo replied. 'We were attacked by a dragon. I noticed the spot not long after that.'

It wasn't quite the truth. But Echo was not comfortable with sharing anything more. Definitely not with a random stranger like this. Bartholomew frowned, crossing his arms as Echo covered up.

'There is one thing that you could try. Neverwinter is home to a remarkable structure called the House of Knowledge. The arcanists there can answer any question through magical means. There is a woman there called Salyndra Shaern. If anyone can tell you what caused this, it's her.'

'Salyndra Shaern in the House of Knowledge,' Echo repeated after him. 'Where will I find this house, then?'

Bartholomew explained the route to her. It wouldn't be hard to find, he said. By now, Echo was nodding at almost every word that came out of his mouth. She printed the information in her head as well as possible. She had to. This was the only lead she had. But it was better than nothing. Her desire to go to Neverwinter doubled.

Finally, some answers.

* * *

The next afternoon, the group arrived at the southern gates of Neverwinter. The last time that they'd been there, it had been in the middle of the night and they hadn't seen much of the city at all. Not this time. The Jewel of the North basked in the rising sun, lighting up like a pearl on the sandy shore. The group entered through the south-eastern district, walking along the river as it ran though the town.

'Why do they call it Neverwinter?' Yorda thought out loud as she looked around her. 'The seasons here change like they do anywhere.'

Alatar coughed, puffing out his chest as he answered her question in the way that only a scholar could.

'The city was named that way because of the Neverwinter River. Even though it is situated in the north of Faeruin, the river is heated by fire elementals that live under the nearby Mount Hoteno near Neverwinter Wood. The heat from the river causes a permanent warm climate in this immediate area.'

'You're serious?' Echo replied, slightly impressed. 'Fire elementals?'

Telyn placed her hand in the river's water as she walked. A surprised expression appeared on her face.

'He's right. The water is warm.'

'Of course I am right,' Alatar huffed. 'That is also the reason why Neverwinter remains such a popular trade port. Honestly, you can find this information in any history book. The sea around the city won't freeze over, so ships can sail in and out during any time of year. Also the city was originally named-'

'Okay, enough with the history lesson!' Echo complained. 'Old city, great for trade, yadda yadda. We get it.'

Alatar huffed. The rest of the way was travelled in silence as the group took in the scenes around them. They passed a farmer's market, riddled with carts full of delicious-looking meats and spices. They passed Bartholomew's temple, large and impressively gleaming in the morning sunlight. Bartholomew excused himself and left the group at that point.

Finally, the group arrived at their destination. A large square – although square was the wrong word. The area was completely round, with houses and buildings placed around it in a perfect circular pattern. Beautiful statues of knights in full armour were stationed next to the four gates that gave access to the courtyard-like square. In the middle stood a perfectly round fountain, thirty feet in diameter. Beautiful, crystal-clear water shot fort from the centrepiece – a round block of white marble with multiple emblems of Neverwinter carved into it. In fact, even the way the water fell resembled the shape of that emblem. It was magnificent.

One of the buildings near that fountain was a beautiful tavern made of white stone, with a sky-blue roof. It was a lovely building, with large, bright windows and little potted plants resting behind the windowsills. The entire building just breathed homeliness and hospitality.

They had been there before. It was Butch's inn, the Trouncing Pony.

'Daaaaaaarlings!' Butch yelled, as soon as he saw who was coming in. 'I haven't seen your lovely faces in too long!'

'Good to see you too, Butch,' Nala replied. Butch still looked the same. It was a bulk of a man, with a squarely shaped head and an ash-blond, fabulously thick moustache that could best be described as a handlebar chiseled around his lips. He was wearing a high-class steward outfit, but had put an apron over it with a giant heart embroidered in the middle. This time, his apron was purple.

The group instantly felt at ease. They reserved their rooms for the night, Echo once again flirting with Butch as they went and Butch once again hinting at Alatar that he was "always available". They spent the evening with another fancy meal, this time from the Trouncing Pony itself. It was absolutely delicious. Everyone went to bed that night with a warm feeling in their stomach and a satisfied smile on their face.

For a last journey together, this wasn't bad at all.


	26. Chapter 1,3 - The House of Knowledge

**1.3 – The House of Knowledge**

 _Don't you just love it when the plot thickens? I do._

 _Hey guys, who is/are your favourite character(s) in the story, and why? I'm very curious how our babies look in the eyes of other people. =D_

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

The half-elf awoke to a mild tingling sensation in the tips of her fingers. Still under the blankets, Yorda stared at her hands. Maybe it was her imagination. But it was almost as if their glow had gotten slightly brighter over the last few weeks. Just a tiny little bit. Not enough for anyone else to notice.

But Yorda knew. The pale half-elf smiled to herself.

It felt good.

Yorda woke Echo up and the two of them made their way downstairs for breakfast. The rest of the group had already gathered at a table. Or in a corner, more specifically. Butch had decorated his inn in such a way that the entire main room was decked out in snug-looking couches, comfy arm chairs with soft pillows and warm, fluffy rugs to place your feet on. It looked cosy, and very inviting. A little like Butch, actually.

'So,' Echo started, as soon as everyone had finished their breakfast. 'I have a little errand to run before we go to Meek. Or afterwards. Either is fine.'  
'What kind of errand?' Telyn asked curiously. The Tiefling brushed a dark hair lock behind her ear.  
'If you must know, I have an appointment at the House of Knowledge. It's urgent. And private.'  
'The House of whatnow?' Telyn asked.  
'I've heard of this place,' Alatar said, sounding a bit more excited than normal. 'It is said that the Readers there know the answer to every question you can think of. If you're going there, then I'm going to tag along with you.'  
'I just said that this was private,' Echo protested. The wizard did not seem to care.  
'So? You'll be doing your shady business in the corner while I'll be asking questions elsewhere. You can't stop me from going, either way.'  
'If that's true, then I have some questions I'd like to ask them as well,' Nala said to them. Mialee and Telyn nodded. The idea of being able to have any kind of question answered seemed to greatly interest all of them. Or at least, that is how Yorda read their expressions. She could understand why. Being able to get the answer to anything, not matter how difficult a question, was an incredibly powerful thing. The pale half-elf racked her brain for a bit, trying to think of something that she would want to ask.

She came up with nothing.

'So that's what we'll do, then,' Mialee finally concluded for the group. 'We'll go visit Meek and see what he wants. Then we'll go to the House of Knowledge. All agreed?'  
They nodded, Echo with an annoyed mumble. Everyone paid Butch for another night of lodging, after which they set out back into the streets of Neverwinter.

* * *

It was another day of perfectly blue skies. Yorda trailed a bit behind the rest of the group as they made their way through the city. She had never seen so many people in the same place before. Well, she had. But even after seeing the city twice, the pale half-elf was still not used to it. There were thousands of them. Half-elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings and even the occasional Tiefling.

And humans. So many humans. They were of all classes and standings, too. Yorda saw poor commoners in the streets of the Southern district, sharply contrasting with the elegantly dressed people around Butch's tavern. Wealthy merchants and shady-looking swindlers made a fortune at the city's markets. Yorda saw a skinny-looking boy dart past, clutching what looked like a woman's satchel. Two armoured guards ran by in hot pursuit. They vanished around a corner.

Eventually, the group reached their destination. One entire corner of the Merchant's district was claimed by a large, impressive-looking stone building. It looked finely polished, with beautiful archways leading into a sun-lit courtyard. The place was bursting with people. Dozens of them lined up in front of ornate windowsills and wooden counters. Yorda could hear the clanking of coin. Everywhere. Supply carts were manoeuvred through the crowd to the side of the complex. Yorda could see sacks of what looked like spices. People poured over them as they got unloaded, eager to see the quality of their wares.

'Wow. This whole place belongs to Meek?' Echo blurted out in surprise. She clearly had not expected this. Neither had the others. They gawked at the massive trading post in front of them, their mouths open.  
It actually took the group a little while to find Meek. That wasn't strange – the place was massive, even without the hordes of merchants and traders that got in the way. Eventually, though, someone came to their aid.  
'Mister Everheart? Oh, you mean Meek? He's in the back, sorting wares. You'll find him over there.'  
The woman pointed at a dark corner of the complex. It was one of the only places that the light did not reach. Crates and barrels stood stacked against the walls. There was a single figure in between those barrels. A young man holding a broom, who was busy sweeping the floor. With reddish hair and freckles all over his face.

Nala immediately called out to him.  
'Hey! Meek!'  
The young man looked behind him with a confused expression. As soon as he saw the owner of that voice, that confusion turned to happy surprise.  
'Miss Fennorae! Everyone! You're really here- I haven't prepared any- it's so wonderful to see you all safe and sound!'  
They joined him in his corner as Meek promptly threw the broom aside.  
'Is this place really yours, Meek? It's huge!'  
One of the nearby merchants chuckled as he heard Nala ask that question. With a smirk, he moved up in line. Meek went a little red at the cheeks – more so than usual, at least.  
'Well, yes and no. It was founded by my great-grandfather, but we don't- I'm not the current owner.'  
'Future owner, then?' Echo replied. The freckled young man in front of her shook his head.  
'Well… no. The trading post grew so quickly that grandfather wasn't able to keep up with demands, so other traders invested stocks and shares. My family only holds a small portion of the complex now.'  
He didn't seem entirely comfortable saying that. Maybe it was a sore point for him and his family?  
'But enough about that. You're all here! You're really here! Did you read my letter?'  
'That's why we came. So what is this deal about?'  
Meek quickly gestured to a door in the far wall.  
'Not here. Inside, please.'

He guided the group around the stacks of crates and towards the door. On the other side was a small room, used for storing more delicate foods and spices. Meek nervously closed the door behind them. It was almost as if he was afraid that someone would listen in.  
'R-right. Please, take a seat.'  
Yorda looked into the room. There was only a single chair in there. And they were with six people, excluding Meek.  
'S-sorry! I'll go get some more chairs! Wait right here, please.'  
'No need,' Nala said, stopping him. 'We can stand. It's fine.'  
'Oh. A-all right.'  
Yorda hadn't heard his stutter while they were still outside, but it was starting to shine through now. The guy was probably nervous.  
'So, Meek. Why have you invited us here?'  
'W-well. I have a- a request to ask of all of you.'  
He gulped, straightening his back. It made him look slightly less immature. Just a little bit. Meek turned towards Alatar, giving the wizard a nod.  
'I'd like to say that I haven't- haven't forgotten your offer, sir. I've had a lot of time to think, both during the journey to Phandalin and on the way back.'  
'I'm glad to hear that,' Alatar replied. His tone was completely serious for a change. Meek nodded again, seemingly trying to sort out his story in his head.  
'The truth is, I really enjoyed the adventures that we went through together. I was only the escort then, of course. But that adventure gave me a thrill that you can't find inside of a trading post. I've been working here my whole life, and… and I don't know if this is the kind of future that I want to have.'

As Meek talked, Yorda noticed that his stutter had vanished again. He really seemed to be invested in this. It showed on his face, too. There was a determination there that hadn't been visible before.  
'A few days ago, I came across some information about a new cave that's recently been discovered near Mount Hoteno. It's unmarked on any map, and I think it's still undiscovered. So… so here is my proposal. I'd like to hire all of you to accompany me. Not as an escort, like last time! I want to see what it's like to- to be a real adventurer. To fight like you do. In return, I'll share any treasure with you that we find.'  
His fists were balled by the end of his speech as he looked at the group with a hopeful, eager expression on his face. Meek really, really wanted this. It was strangely endearing. Yorda found herself smiling as she listened to him.  
'Of course we'll help you, Meek,' Nala replied. 'Are you sure, though? Adventuring is a dangerous business. You never know what you'll find, or what you'll have to face off against.'  
'I'm sure,' the redheaded boy nodded to her. 'I- I might not be cut out for it, but then I'll know, at least. I'm old enough to make my own decisions now. And I don't want to spend the rest of my life in here wondering what could have been.'

There was a surprising amount of depth to his answer. He really had put a lot of thought into this. Nala looked at the rest of the group.  
'What do you think?'  
'Hey, I always enjoy having you around,' Echo winked at him. Meek once again blushed and looked away. Nala's gaze shifted to the other people there.  
'If the boy wants to try, we should let him,' Alatar shrugged. Mialee nodded in agreement.  
'Indeed. And we can protect him if it's too dangerous.'  
'The experience will be good for him,' Telyn added. They all seemed to be in agreement. Nala looked at Yorda. The half-elf cocked her head slightly, glancing at Meek. She would love to have him join them. But even though he wasn't a child anymore, he was definitely more vulnerable than they were. Yorda's gaze lingered on his skinny arms and legs.  
'Can we give you a test? To see how well you hold your own in a fight?'  
'That's a good idea,' Nala nodded. 'We have a few errands to take care of and things to prepare, anyway. Meek, why don't you come to the Trouncing Pony Inn tonight? We'll take a look at your combat abilities then. We can leave the morning after that. How does that sound?'  
The freckled redhead almost couldn't contain his own enthusiasm. He quickly agreed, nodding eagerly.  
'Y-yes, m'am! That sounds perfect!'  
'Good. Then we'll see you tonight. Bring any adventuring gear that you have.'  
'I will!'

* * *

Not long after the meeting with young Meek, the group found themselves at their next destination: the House of Knowledge. The temple was located at the end of the Dolphin Bridge, one of Neverwinter's most scenic locations.

It was a huge, impressive building. Almost like a tower, actually. The walls spiralled up a good ten to fifteen stories high. The House of Knowledge was impressively tall, with many windows and an arched roof. The windows were… strange, to say the least. Even though it was the middle of the day and Yorda was supposed to be able to see inside, instead she saw nothing. Not even darkness. Just nothing. Her eyes started to hurt when she focused on it for too long.

The front door was impressive, too. A massive oak structure, the top of the doors were almost twice the height that Nala was. As soon as the group approached those doors, one of them opened with a loud creaking sound. A single humanoid figure stepped out. He was dressed in purplish blue mage robes. They looked a little bit like Alatar's robes, but much more intricately woven. He had one of those big hoods up, too. Yorda couldn't see most of his face. Maybe it was just a thing with mages?

The man waited until they were at the base of the building before addressing them all.  
'I knew you would come.'  
Whoa. That was new. Everyone halted in their tracks and looked at each other. These people were even more impressive than they were rumoured to be. They glanced back at the man, who was leaning against the door with his arms folded.  
'That was a joke.'  
Oh.

He stepped aside, allowing the group to enter. Yorda observed her companions as they walked in. Nala and Echo looked especially nervous, but everyone had a certain air of tension about them. Yorda followed closely behind, allowing them to take the lead.

They walked in to find a strange, dimly lit hallway. Bookshelves lined up against the walls. Yorda could see those shelves going up in circles, accompanied by a large spiral staircase. Multiple wooden doors poked out between those bookcases, almost as if they were a part of it. Everything had a strange blue glow. The magic in this building was almost tangible.

Another robed figure greeted them inside. He gave them a single bow before gesturing at the many doors.  
'Those of you with questions. You may enter a room and ask any question you wish, for a fee. Be warned that every question has a price, and a cost.'  
Echo took the lead. She stepped forward.  
'I'm here to see Salyndra Shaern.'  
The figure in front of her looked her up and down. It was an uncomfortable stare. But the Tiefling endured it, head held high. Eventually the figure bowed again.  
'Follow me.'  
She was guided towards the stairs by the figure. The group watched as Echo began to climb the staircase, going all the way up. After a little while, the robed figure came back without her. He once again gestured towards the many closed doors.  
'Those who remain. Choose any room you like.'  
They did as instructed. Nala was the first to step forth. She chose the very first door that she came across, the one at the base of the stairs. As soon as the Dragonborn disappeared behind it, the door vanished.  
'Wha-?!' Mialee gasped.  
'Please, do not be alarmed. This is a normal occurrence.'  
The brown-haired elf looked at him suspiciously for a while. Then her own curiosity won out. She ascended the stairs for a little bit, before going through a door herself. That door, too, vanished from the wall as soon as it fell shut.  
Weird.

Alatar and Telyn took a little more time to pick their doors. The bard walked up for a long way, seemingly unable to decide which one to take. She eventually backtracked and vanished somewhere in the middle. Alatar actually walked around the stairs, picking a door that was almost entirely out of sight from the entrance. Maybe Alatar hoped that a door like that would be more special? Yorda didn't know.

The pale half-elf was left on her own, with the hooded mage looking down on her.  
'Have you no questions to ask?'  
She shook her head, shrugging at him.  
'Not really, no. Is that weird?'  
For a second, the mage next to her remained silent. Then his gaze softened. He gave her a single, genuine smile.  
'No.'

* * *

 **Echo**

* * *

At first, the Tiefling couldn't see anything. A bright light blinded her as Echo walked inside of the room. It took a couple of seconds for her vision to recover. Echo was standing in an elegant study, in the same blue hues as the rest of the building. Intricately carved bookcases lined every wall of this room, and in the centre stood a beautiful wooden desk.

There was a single person seated at that desk. Echo's first thought was that she looked beautiful. Her second thought was that this woman was absolutely terrifying. The person in front of her radiated a magical aura so strong that it made all of the hairs in Echo's neck stand upright. Her hood was drawn back, revealing long silvery hair that trailed all the way down to the ground. She was sitting perfectly still, but Echo could swear that she saw strand of her hair float up and down gently.  
'You… you must be Elder Reader Salyndra Shaern,' the Tiefling spoke. 'Thank you for seeing me.'  
Her voice sounded hollow and harsh in the book-adorned chamber. It felt wrong and she quickly stopped talking.  
The silver-haired woman motioned to a chair on the other side of the desk.  
'Please. Sit.'

The Tiefling did, eyeing the woman in front of her with a cautious expression. Her eyes did not have pupils. They were of a crystal clear, almost silvery colour. Salyndra wasn't looking at her, but Echo could still feel her gaze upon her skin. It was unsettling. As she gulped nervously, the woman in front of her smiled.  
'Do not be afraid. Feel free to ask me what it is that you wish to know.'  
The Tiefling took a deep breath. She turned sideways and rolled up her shirt, exposing the eerie green spot on her waist. Salyndra didn't move in the slightest, but Echo knew that she could see it. She inhaled slowly, and asked the question.  
'What is it? Is this a disease? Am I cursed?'

Salyndra closed her eyes. The magic aura around her became even stronger. For a moment, Echo was sure that she could feel something touching her side. It was a cold sensation, but not unpleasantly so. The Tiefling kept silent, not wanting to interrupt whatever magic Salyndra was using.

Eventually, her eyes opened again. This time, they looked right at Echo.  
'Rest easy. It is not a disease, or a curse that haunts you.'  
The Tiefling let out a relieved sigh. She leaned back in her chair, relaxing a little bit.  
'That's… you have no idea how glad I am to hear that. Thank you.'  
Salyndra nodded, but kept Echo in her gaze. Then the Tiefling realized that she still didn't know what she came here to find out.  
'So what is it, then?'  
The silver-haired woman did not answer her question. Instead, she countered with a question of her own.  
'When did you first become aware of this mark, Echo?'  
She knew her name. Echo knew she shouldn't be surprised – these people made having all kinds of knowledge their life goal. But it startled her a little anyway. She bit her lip, unsure of how to respond.  
'I got mauled by a green dragon a couple of days ago. I found out about it not long after that. Did that dragon do this?'

Salyndra closed her eyes again. For the second time, Echo could feel a cold sensation brush past her skin. After a brief moment of silence, the woman in front of her spoke.  
'That is not the entire truth. You did not just fight it, did you? That dragon killed you, Echo.'

The sensation worsened. Echo could feel something seep into the spot on her waist, before slowly starting to spread throughout her body. In front of her, the long silvery hair of Salyndra Shaern began to swirl, reaching out to the Tiefling. It would have been a fantastical scene – if Echo hadn't been absolutely terrified.  
'I can sense a dark presence within you, Echo Dodecahedron. An evil spirit, latching onto your destiny from that mark on your body.'  
Echo could feel her blood slowly turn to ice as the meaning of those words became clear to her. Salyndra opened her eyes. The cold sensation left Echo's body. The two kept eye contact as the Tiefling, hesitantly, asked her next question.  
'So that… that wasn't because of the dragon? Are you sure?'  
'Yes. This was not that dragon's doing. Although its hand in your demise may have been used as an opportunity by this creature. No, this was done by a dark presence. One that you have already met in some way in the past. Now it looms behind you, influencing your path.'  
'Wait – what do you mean? This thing is influencing me?'  
Salyndra nodded.  
'For good or for evil, I cannot tell. But left alone, this being will surely leave an even bigger mark on you… and those around you.'  
Fuck.  
Echo forced herself to keep calm as that information processed in her head. So that's what it was. Of course that's what it was.  
'Can you get rid of it?'  
'I cannot, unfortunately.'  
Of course not. That would be too easy, now wouldn't it?  
'Can I get rid of it, then?'  
The woman in front of her frowned.  
'I do not think so.'

This was bad. Not as bad as a curse. No, in a way, this was much worse. And Echo didn't even know the full scope of it. Damn it, what if it could influence her so much that her personality would start to change? What if it could influence her so much that-  
Fuck.  
She focused on Salyndra for her last question. This time, she couldn't mask the fear from her voice.  
'Am I alone? Is there someone else here with me?'  
Her voice lowered to a faint whisper.  
'Can… can that thing take me over?'

It took Salyndra a long time to answer. When she did, it was in a much more cryptic way than before. She spoke as if to the air, and her eyes were looking right through Echo.  
'Some people walk their paths alone. And some people walk with help. You are one that can walk with help… if you allow it. You have companions that you can count on, as well. Do so. Being alone will worsen your situation.'

Echo bit her lip as she nodded to the woman in front of her. She did not like that answer at all. Not one bit. But Salyndra did not say anything else. Her eyes closed and Echo could feel the magical aura around her fading. She had gotten a lot of information from her already. The Tiefling felt that she could probably ask about something else if she wanted – but her head was so full with the things that she'd just heard that Echo couldn't think of anything. So she got up from her seat and gave Salyndra a respectful bow.  
'Thank you, Elder Reader. For everything.'

Salyndra did not respond. For a moment, it looked like she had turned into a human-sized doll. Not even her chest was moving. It was creeping Echo out, and so the Tiefling quickly left.

The visit had given her a lot to think about.

* * *

 **Alatar**

* * *

The half-elf wizard walked into a similar room that Echo did, only one that was much less elegantly decorated. He too was faced with a single robed figure sitting at a wooden desk. Alatar could guess what the procedure here was. And so he wasted no time getting to the point. Ever since Nala and Echo had told him about Capricornicus, the wizard had been fidgety. That damn deer. Of course it was that damn deer.  
So he skipped any sort of greeting and plopped down on the chair opposite of the hooded mage.  
'What is my master's current condition?'

A short silence fell. Then the person in front of him began to chant. When he answered, it was in a low, inhuman voice.  
'Alatar Vermillion. It is the same as it was when you last laid eyes on him. But even as we speak, part of him deteriorates.'  
The wizard nodded. He had expected that answer. It was no information that he didn't already know. He dug around in his robes and pulled out a single note.  
'Can you relay a message to the deer? I need to contact him.'  
The chanting stopped. The figure in front of him gave Alatar a long, blank stare.  
'No.'  
'Oh. Well, thanks, then.'

This visit was not proving as helpful as he'd hoped. Alatar got up from his chair and left the room.  
He'd have to make contact with Capricornicus some other way, then.  
Damn deer.

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

The Dragonborn had come to the House of Knowledge with a single subject in mind. She hadn't been back to her village in a long time, and with the current state of things in her homeland, the paladin was worried for the people there. Nala uttered a quick greeting to the person at the desk in front of her and sat down.  
'What is the current condition of my village?'

The figure in front of her – a woman, judging from the sound of her voice – began to chant. The room darkened, until the Dragonborn could no longer see the walls around her. She almost jumped up in surprise when a low, unnatural voice began to ring out – not from the woman in front of her, but from the room itself.  
'Nala Fennorae. Your village is in the same state as it was when you left it. However, trouble brews from the north. Armies gathering. Feet marching.'  
She fell silent for a moment, before continuing.  
'The beating of wings in the distance.'

Nala's relieved expression was slowly replaced by dread as she listened to the voice. A cold fist of fear clamped itself over her heart. The Dragonborn had to force herself to utter the next question.  
'What… what is the state of Drahadur's army?'

The room darkened even further. Nala could no longer see the person in front of her, and even the desk and her own chair vanished from view. The Dragonborn found herself alone in the darkness. From inside her own mind, the same voice spoke again.  
'Drahadur's army is growing.'  
'How fast?'

A sharp, painful flash shot through the back of her head. Nala lost all awareness of her body as her mind was pulled out of the tower and far to the north. The Dragonborn could see flashes of soldiers marching. Hundreds of them. She saw swords and axes, cutting down anything that crossed their path. Her vision changed to images of the capital. The details were too fuzzy to make out. Nala could see a figure wearing a beautiful, ornate crown. Her vision flashed again. The edges of the crown became stained with a horrible blackness that caused the Dragonborn to recoil in fear. Soon the entire crown was black. Nala saw a man, tainted by madness. A maniacal laughter resounded in her ears.

More incomprehensible flashes occurred. Then a clear vision. The Dragonborn saw eyes, radiating a murderous aura. But this was more than just a vision. The paladin came to the horrifying realisation that those eyes were _glaring right at her_. At Nala.

They could see her.

The Dragonborn screamed. Her vision immediately flashed back to the room in the House of Knowledge. She'd flung herself from her seat. Nala crashed against the nearest bookcase with a painful _thud_. She fell on the ground. Nala didn't even try to get up. Her heart was beating in her throat and she was breathing hard, trying to process the information that she'd just gotten.

This was bad.  
This was very bad.

Slowly, the Dragonborn got back up. She said nothing to the cloaked figure as she walked out of the room, in a complete daze.

* * *

 **Mialee**

* * *

'Is it possible to know the fate of someone?'  
The robed figure in front of Mialee gave her a single nod. Her heartbeat picked up almost immediately. She leaned towards him over the desk.  
'Can I know the fate of a person called Beiro?'  
'You may.'  
The person in front of her began to chant. After a few short words, the magic around him faded away.  
'The person you seek is currently alive.'  
'REALLY?!'

The brown-haired elf jumped to her feet, with such a force that it sent her chair flying across the room. A thousand thoughts coursed through her mind at once. She almost started to hyperventilate. In a sudden decision, Mialee sprinted for the door. She only stopped inches away from it.  
'Wait, do I need to pay?'  
Silence. The robed figure in front of her said nothing.  
'How much do I need to pay?'  
Still no answer. Behind her, the door suddenly opened on its own.  
'Does that mean I can leave?'

When Mialee turned around to face the cloaked figure behind the desk, she realised that there was nobody there. The circular room was empty. It almost looked as if there had never been anyone there in the first place. This was all too strange. Mialee shrugged, too affected by the information that she'd just gotten to really think about it. The brown-haired elf sprinted out of the room. A single thought echoed through her mind as she did so.

He was alive.  
He was alive.

Beiro was alive.

* * *

 **Telyn**

* * *

The pink-haired bard sat down on the other side of the desk with a very nervous expression. She had no idea what to expect of this. Telyn took a deep breath, and decided to just roll with it.  
'I… I want to ask about my father. Is the person that I am searching for… really the person that I want to find?'  
The figure opposite of her gave a single nod.  
'Follow the sound of crows, young Telyn. They will lead you to your destination.'  
Telyn nodded, filing the answer away in her head.  
'Where is he right now? Do you know?'

A short silence fell as the hooded man began to chant. A faint magical energy brushed by the side of Telyn's face. Then the chanting suddenly stopped, the spell ending.  
'The person you seek is here in Faeruin, but he is also not here at all. Finding him at this stage may prove… difficult. I am sorry. That is all I can say for now.'

Her expression fell. That wasn't much of an answer at all. At least she had some clarity now, though. It could have been a lot worse. She could have found out that he was dead. And what was the significance of crows in all of this? Telyn frowned, unable to come up with an answer. She stood up and thanked the figure in front of her. With a worried expression, the pink-haired bard left the room.

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

'So do you all just really like to hide your faces? Alatar does it all the time, too. Is that it? Is it a mage thing?'  
The pale half-elf was chatting with the robed mage in the hallway as she waited for her companions to return. More specifically, she was prodding him with questions as he listened to her with an amused smirk on his hooded face.  
'Did you not just say that you had no questions to ask?'  
'Yes, but that's different.'  
He let out a chuckle. At that moment, five doors flashed into existence in the walls of the ground floor. Yorda watched as her companions stepped out, one by one. First Echo, then Alatar. They were followed by Nala, Mialee and Telyn, respectively. Yorda immediately picked up on the mood that hung around most of them. Everyone looked grim or shaken to some extent. Especially Nala – the Dragonborn looked downright pale. With her golden scales, that was quite the event. Yorda cautiously walked up to the paladin.  
'Nala?'  
'Not now,' the Dragonborn cut her off. 'Just… give me some space. Let me sort out my thoughts.'  
Yorda instinctively knew that she had to back off. Whatever had happened in there, it had made a big impact on her. So the pale half-elf just nodded. She didn't say anything else.  
Neither did Nala. The Dragonborn walked past her, heading to the entrance of the House of Knowledge. She closed her eyes as she stepped into the sunlight. Nala just stood there, silently.

'Well, that was… something,' Telyn muttered as she joined the rest of the group. The robed man near the door gave them a slow nod.  
'Every question has a price, and a cost. Sometimes the answers that we receive are not the answers that we wish to hear. But that is what the House offers. The truth. For better or worse.'  
They all gave a nod back.  
'Wait. We still need to pay, don't we?' Echo suddenly said. 'How much do we owe you?'

In response, the mage made a single gesture with his hand. A scroll of paper appeared between his outstretched fingers. Yorda glanced over his shoulder as he read. There was a list on there. She could see the names of everyone who went in there, paired with the number of questions asked and the price per question. Mialee's list was considerably longer than the rest of them.

The mage passed by each person, accepting payment from them as he went. When he reached Echo, the man just kept going.  
'Hey, what about me?' the Tiefling asked. The mage just smiled at her.  
'Echo Dodecahedron. Your reading was free of charge. Courtesy of our Elder Reader.'  
'Oh. Thank you. Thank you very much.'  
He bowed to them one last time as the mage led all of them out the front door.  
'Thank you for your patronage. May the future bring you clarity, and this knowledge bring you wisdom.'

* * *

Most of the way back was walked in silence. Telyn had split off from the group almost right away, choosing to stay behind on the Dolphin bridge to think. Mialee and Nala were too occupied with their own thoughts to make any kind of conversation. Alatar just ignored them, as he always did.

So Yorda focused on Echo instead. Contrary to the other members in her group, Yorda knew exactly what the Tiefling had wanted to go to the House of Knowledge for. The pale half-elf wanted to know what had happened in there. Badly.  
She didn't want to push Echo to tell her, though. Nala hadn't responded well to that, either. Cautiously, the pale half-elf looked up at Echo's face.

And they made eye contact. The Tiefling actually got startled by it. She quickly averted her gaze. She'd never reacted like that before. Yorda opened her mouth to talk to her, but Echo beat her to it.  
'Leave it alone, Yorda. Let me sort out my thoughts.'  
The same answer that she'd gotten from Nala. Almost exactly the same, even. And she hadn't even asked anything yet. The pale half-elf nodded at Echo, backing off. Yorda didn't mind waiting. She'd find out eventually.

Probably.

As she began to move away from Echo, the Tiefling suddenly called her back.  
'Yorda, please don't leave me.'  
Slowly, the pale half-elf spun back around to look at her. Echo wore a strange expression on her face. It almost looked like… fear? That was definitely new. The Tiefling was trying to hide it, but there was definitely a shadow of fear, almost… panic, slipping through the cracks of her mask. Yorda didn't know what to make of that.  
'I… sure?'  
'I mean – make sure to tell me where you're going, all right? We lose Mialee all the time, and it's a big city.'  
It was a very transparent attempt to cover up whatever state of mind had caused Echo to say that, and Yorda saw right through it. Something had definitely happened.  
'I always do that,' Yorda finally answered, very cautiously. 'And I always come back, too. You are going to tell me what happened in there at some point, right?'  
The Tiefling bit her lip, then gave a single nod. It seemed almost forced. But it was enough for Yorda. She dropped the subject.

The rest of the way back to Butch's inn was walked in complete silence. Nobody was in the mood to talk, everyone preoccupied with their own thoughts.

Wondering what the future would bring.

* * *

 _So, who are your favourites? Whose backstory seems the most interesting? P_ _lease let me know! I love hearing from my readers ^.^_


	27. Chapter 1,4 - To Adventure!

**1.4 – To adventure!**

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

That evening, Meek came to the Trouncing Pony Inn. The others had been waiting for the young man to arrive. They took Meek to a small clearing around the building, where he would be tested in battle. With Butch's permission, of course. The group did not feel like getting kicked out of his tavern. His suite rooms were too fancy for that.

Meek had come prepared. A rapier was strapped to his belt and he had traded his normal clothes for a set of sturdy-looking leather armor. A wooden shield in hand, the young man looked just a little more battle-ready than before.  
Just a little, though.  
'Are you ready, Meek?' Nala asked. The Dragonborn was leaned up against the wall together with Echo. The redhead gulped and reached for the rapier on his side.  
'Y-yes, m'am. I have my sword right here, m'am.'

He drew the weapon. Then a fearful expression flashed across his face.  
'Will… will I be battling you, miss Fennorae?'  
The Dragonborn shook her head with a smile.  
'No, no. I don't want to cleave you in half. You'll be taking on that one.'  
She pointed at Yorda, who had positioned herself opposite of Meek. She gave him a happy wave. The redhead looked back at Nala, his expression not changing in the slightest.  
'That is not easier, m'am.'  
The gold-scaled Dragonborn let out a chuckle. Then she folded her arms. Her expression turned serious. She and Echo were here to judge his combat abilities. The paladin did not take that responsibility lightly.  
'All right, then. Whenever you're ready, Yorda.'

The pale half-elf gave an enthusiastic nod. She turned to face Meek. Her form shifted. The next moment, the young man was looking down on a huge, white wolf. Meek let out a nervous squeal. He gripped his shield tighter, bringing it up in front of his chest.  
The wolf growled. Yorda was into this. She started to circle him, forcing Meek to turn with her or have his back exposed. Meek nervously followed the wolf with his eyes. The next moment, Yorda pounced. The wolf jumped up into the air and went for his throat, snarling viciously.  
Most of that was just for show. Nala and Yorda had talked about this in advance. She didn't actually mean to hurt him. She just wanted to knock him over. To test his strength.

She didn't get the chance, though. In a remarkable show of agility, Meek dodged to the side. The wolf slammed against his shield instead. It hurt, too. Yorda shook her head in a daze, trying to get rid of the sting.  
Meek instantly made use of the opportunity. He quickly thrust his rapier forth, slashing at Yorda and cutting a nasty gash in her side.  
'Not bad, Meek,' Echo commented. Her tone was just a little surprised.

Wolf-Yorda pounced a second time, going for his throat again. This time, Meek was prepared for it. He slammed the edge of his shield down on her snout, knocking Yorda down instead. Her body hadn't hit the ground yet before he'd swung his rapier down a second time. The blade went right through her skull. It was a fatal blow. A painful yelp escaped from the wolf's mouth. Then its body crumpled to the ground. Its form shifted and changed back into Yorda. She was clutching her head, a painful grimace on her face.  
'Oh! I'm sorry, miss Yorda!' Meek squeaked. He was breathing hard. Little drops of sweat had started to pour down his neck and forehead. But he'd won. Not only that, but Meek had actually showed an impressive amount of skill for a supposed rookie.  
Nala had noticed that, too. She approached Meek with an approving smile on her face and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
'Well done, Meek. Was this really your first battle?'  
'Y-yes, m'am,' the boy panted. 'I- I tried my b-best.'  
'You did very well,' Nala praised him. 'For a beginner, you have a remarkable agility and control over your blade. If you can keep that up, you might become a great adventurer one day.'  
Her words made him glow with pride. Meek stood up a little straighter, stashing his rapier back in his sheath. Next to him, Echo helped Yorda get back up.  
'Great!' the half-elf smiled. 'Now let's try the bear.'  
'T-t-the bear?!'  
His confidence instantly shattered again as the redheaded boy began to shake. Yorda let out an amused chuckle.  
'I'm kidding, I'm kidding.'

* * *

The group set out for the cave at the very next dawn. Meek had brought a map with him to show them the way. He'd marked the supposed location of the cave himself with a little red "x". It was a few miles north from Neverwinter, through the hills and past Neverwinter Wood. On foot, they were supposed to be able to reach it in a day or so.

As the group traveled, a large shape slowly started to become visible on the horizon. It were the outlines of another mountainous area. In the middle of that area stood the tallest peak of them all: Mount Hoteno. It wasn't actually a mountain at all. It was a dormant volcano. Mount Hoteno hadn't erupted for a long time. But even now, the large lava flows underneath the surface caused fire elementals, giants and all kinds of other creatures to flock to its warm surface. It was a dangerous place, and very volatile.

As they walked, Echo noticed Yorda looking at the volcano with a big smile on her face. The Tiefling raised a single eyebrow at her.  
'What are you grinning about?'  
The pale half-elf just shook her head, still smiling. She quickly sped up her pace until she walked next to Meek. The young man was practically buried in his map. He actually squealed when Yorda tapped him on the shoulder.  
'Eep! Oh, m-miss Yorda. What can I help you with?'  
The pale half-elf pointed at the dark shapes on the horizon with an excited expression on her face.  
'Is that where the cave is? Are we going to the volcano?'  
'Oh heavens, no!' Meek squeaked. 'That place is really dangerous! Our cave is about a two mile walk from here, in the hills.'  
Her happy expression faded away.  
'Oh. I see.'

They found Meek's supposed cave after a few more hours of walking. Mialee spotted it first. The brown-haired elf pointed at a spot in between two large hilltops, holding one hand above her head to block out the sun.  
'There! Is that it?'  
The rest of the group followed her gaze. There was indeed something there. The hills around these parts were rockier, and steeper than the ones near Neverwinter. At the base of one of those rocky hills rested a single hole in the ground. The group cautiously approached it. Upon closer inspection, the hole didn't go straight down. A gentle slope led inwards, vanishing into the darkness after a few feet. It looked… a little weird, actually.  
'This has to be it,' Meek said. His cheeks were rosy and there was an excited glimmer in his eyes. 'Thank you all for getting me this far. And now the real adventure begins, right?'  
'Right,' Nala frowned. 'Just make sure to let us take the lead.'  
If he was listening to her, he didn't show it. Meek eagerly peeked inside the cave entrance. With his left hand, he lit a torch. It illuminated the way inside… a little bit. The group could see a few stalactites and stalagmites further in.  
'Remember, we don't know what's down there,' Nala cautioned the rest of the group. 'It could be empty. It could be a group of cave trolls, too. Or it could be a dragon.'  
'Don't even tempt that shit, Nala,' Echo replied angrily. The Dragonborn just shrugged, lighting a torch of her own. With Mialee in the lead, the group slowly began to make their way inside.

Echo and Yorda were the last ones in. As they approached the entrance, the Tiefling quickly pulled her companion aside.  
'Will you be all right?' she muttered softly. Yorda looked at the darkness ahead of them with a slight frown.  
'I… I think so. It's just a cave, right?'  
They threw each other a sideways glance. Then Echo shrugged. They wouldn't know until they went in.  
So that's what they did. With Mialee in the lead, the group slowly started to make their way into the cavern. It was very different from the entrance to Wave Echo Cave. The walls and ground of this cavern were almost completely smooth. The occasional stalagmite that they passed had an almost glistening texture to it. Perhaps this place got filled up by rainfall a lot?

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

By now, Yorda had caught up with Mialee at the front of the group. The small half-elf took another few steps before abruptly stopping.  
'Something smells weird.'  
There wasn't anything on the cavern walls that could give off an odor. But the further they walked in, the more Yorda could pick up on a strange, vaguely sweet scent drifting through the air. The pale half-elf had no idea what it was. She'd never smelled something like this before.  
'What do you mean?' Nala answered. The Dragonborn couldn't smell anything. Neither could Echo and Meek, judging from the looks on their faces.  
'It smells… sweet, almost.'  
'It better not be another fungus room,' Echo growled. And with good reason. The last fungus room that they'd been in tried to poison and eat all of them. Not necessarily in that order. Nala and Echo shot each other a nervous look.  
Mialee gave Yorda a light tap on the shoulder.  
'Come on. Let's scout ahead. If there's something that's about to ambush us, we'll stand a better chance against it than Meek would.'  
That was true. Yorda would rather not see Meek's head getting chomped on by some giant fungal spore. The pale half-elf nodded at Mialee. They broke off from the rest of the group, slowly making their way forward.

It wasn't a very large cavern. In fact, Yorda could already see the back of it. A large, slick-looking wall marked the end of the cavern. There were a couple of stalactites to their left and right, but that was about it. No other passages. No cracks in the walls. Nothing.  
Just empty cave.

No, wait. That wasn't true. There was something on the ground, near the back of the cavern. As Yorda and Mialee approached, the pale half-elf could see dusty bones piled up in a circular pattern. They looked like humanoid skeletons. Mialee cautiously approached one of them and glanced down for a better look.  
'That's weird,' she mumbled.  
'What is it?'  
'These things don't look decayed at all.'

Yorda frowned as she joined the elf. Mialee was right. There was something weird about these skeletons. They were too well-preserved. Normally, it would take a long time for all the flesh and muscle to vanish from the bones, and the process would leave them yellow and brittle. If some animal had torn the meat off, then there would have been teeth marks to account for that.  
But there was no evidence of any of that on these bones. Nothing. No, they were a clean white colour and perfectly preserved- almost too perfectly.  
Almost unnaturally so.

Mialee took out one of her short swords and pointed it at one of the skeletons.  
'One mug of ale on them attacking as soon as we touch them.'  
A slight smirk appeared on Yorda's face.  
'Make that two mugs of ale.'  
'You're on, half-breed.'  
She swung her sword down and slapped the nearest skeleton on the skull. A little harder than what she had intended, actually. The bone cracked and gave way under the force of her swing. Mialee's blade sunk right through, cleaving the skull in half. It crumbled into pieces.  
'Oops.'  
That did not go according to plan. Mialee stashed her weapon, a slightly apologetic look on her face. As soon as she did that, however, the other skeletons in the circle began to stir.  
'Hhhhsssssssssss….!'  
'See?!' the brown-haired elf yelled. 'I called it!'

All around them, skeletons started to rise up from the floor. Yorda counted one, two, three, four, five of them. They raised their bony arms and went straight for the two people in the middle of the circle. Two of them grabbed at Mialee. Only her elven reflexes kept her from getting caught up in their skeletal fingers. Instead the brown-haired archer danced away, slashing at them with her swords. The blade cut off pieces of bone with a loud _crack_.  
'Meek, stay behind me!'  
By now, the rest of the group had caught up as well. Nala put out her shield to protect Meek. It covered almost his entire body. The young redhead didn't look very happy with that. In fact, he nimbly sidestepped the protective shield as he drew his rapier.  
'H-hold on, miss Naïlo! I'm coming!'  
The young adventurer charged forward just as another skeleton tried to grab onto Mialee. Meek buried the rapier in its back, cracking the vertebrae. That was more than the skeleton could handle. It collapsed, falling on the ground in a pile of broken bones and splinters.  
'Nice, Meek!' Echo yelled from behind them. Meek didn't reply. The young adventurer seemed to have surprised even himself. He looked down on his rapier with eyes as round as gold coins.

The rest of the skeletons did not prove to be hard to deal with. The group mowed them down easily. Meek actually managed to take down another skeleton, earning him a second round of praise from the group. He was doing extremely well for a rookie.  
After the last skeleton fell, Mialee turned to Yorda with a satisfied smirk on her face.  
'You owe me two mugs of ale.'  
The pale half-elf stayed silent for a moment. Then a similar smile spread across her lips.  
'No, I don't.'  
'What? Yes, you do!' Mialee protested. Yorda's smile widened.  
'You bet that they would attack us as soon as you touched them. They only got up after you cleaved a skull in half and put your sword away.'  
'Wha- that's not fair, half-breed!'  
Yorda just chuckled. Not far from them, Echo and Telyn were glancing around the back of the cave. The pink-haired bard didn't take long to find something that Yorda and Mialee had overlooked.  
'Hey, guys?'  
Telyn was pointing at the group of stalactites at the end of the cave. A little bit past them, in fact. Yorda and Mialee hadn't spotted it before. But there was something there. In the very, very end of the cavern stood a single treasure chest. It was a simple thing, wooden and with a metal clasp in front to keep the lid shut. As soon as Meek saw it, he let out a little sound that was somewhere in between a squeal of delight and a victory scream.  
'We found treasure! We actually found some treasure! This is the best day ever!'  
He stashed his rapier in the sheath on his side and moved towards the chest. Nala quickly put her arm out to stop him.  
'Whoa, there. Hold on.'  
'What? Why?'

Yorda knew what the Dragonborn was hesitating about. There was something weird about all of this. The fact that there was a random chest in here was enough to grow suspicious. But there was something weird about this entire cave. The sweet smell, the unnaturally well-preserved skeletons…  
Something was not right.  
'Let me open this one, Meek,' Nala spoke to him. The young adventurer did not like that at all.  
'What? But… but it's my first…'  
'Just trust me on this. If nothing happens, I'll step out of the way and you can look inside, all right?'  
Meek nodded, a slightly disappointed look on his face. The Dragonborn ignored it. Yorda followed closely behind as Nala approached the treasure chest. It looked perfectly harmless. It looked exactly like that box that they'd found in the Eating Cave, actually. Almost down to the last detail.  
Nala prodded at the chest with her shield. Nothing happened. She did it again, with her armored hand this time. No response.  
'Come on, paladin,' Alatar yelled at her from behind. 'Get a move on! My clothes are getting damp.'  
Nala shrugged. She couldn't find anything weird. The Dragonborn reached for the treasure chest. There was a single iron clasp on the front of it, covering the lid. She grabbed it, pulled and yanked it open.

And everything went to hell.  
Immediately, the lid of the treasure chest sprung open. But Nala hadn't done anything. No, that thing opened by itself. Yorda could see rows of sharp teeth and then the thing _bit down onto her arm!  
_ 'Crap!' Alatar yelled. 'It's a mimic! Get her out of there!'  
Its pointy teeth tore right through her armor. Nala let out a scream as blood started to poor from the spot where the treasure chest had bit down. It was chomping her, hard! Both Meek and Yorda ran up to the Dragonborn in a panic as Echo aimed an Eldritch Blast at the mimic. It hit its mark, burning a hole in its side-  
'OWWW!' Nala screamed. Yorda quickly grabbed onto Nala's other arm. Her palms glowed softly as she healed the Dragonborn's injuries. Almost instantly, the hole in the mimic's side healed up, as well.  
'Fuck, fuck, fuck!' the Tiefling yelled. 'It's leeching off of her!'  
'How does that even _work_?!'  
'I don't fucking know!'

Meek came running up to the Dragonborn. He was almost two feet smaller than she was. But the young adventurer didn't let that stop him. Meek grabbed hold of the arm that was being chomped and pulled, at the same time that Nala did the same. To everyone's surprise, the young redhead actually managed to pull her free. Nala's arm slithered out of the mimic's mouth with a disgusting sucking sound. It was badly hurt. The treasure chest hissed. It had lost its prey.

It did not like losing its prey. The group looked on in horror as dark tendrils appeared from underneath the chest. It bared its teeth, ready to chomp down on Nala's scaly flesh a second time.  
'No you don't, you rotten shoebox!'  
Alatar brought his robed arm up to point at the mimic. A barrage of magic missiles shot forth from his sleeve. They slammed into the mimic, cracking and splintering the wood as the monster got pushed back from Nala. One magic missile bounced off against the metal clip, though. It bore into the wall, instead.

And the cavern shook.

Yorda's body instantly froze up. Her eyes shot up at the ceiling. The surface was smooth, almost polished. No cracks anywhere. It was fine. But her body wouldn't listen to her reasoning. Yorda's heart began to pound in her chest as the pale-half elf forced herself to focus on the battle in front of her.  
It was just a tremor.  
It was just a tremor.

'Nala! MOVE!'  
The Dragonborn darted off to the right just in time. Mialee had run up to the front, her bow drawn and aiming at the monster in front of her. The brown-haired elf let out an angry scream as she fired. She looked like a one-woman barrage. One, two, three, four arrows drilled into the front and sides of the mimic. It let out a horrible, guttural growl. Dark liquid began to drip out of the cracks in the wood. It was looking very rough.  
The brown-haired elf fired one more time. But the monster had already collapsed. The arrow ricocheted off its iron hinges, piercing part of the back wall instead.

And the cavern shook again. It was a heavier tremor. This time Yorda couldn't reason her way out of it. Instinct started to take over. She clicked into survival mode. The pale half-elf began to back up towards the entrance-  
When a horrible grinding screech resounded throughout the entire cavern. The ground underneath Yorda's hands and feet began to shake. And tremble. And crack. In a panic, the pale half-elf turned to dash towards the entrance. But she was too late. Yorda watched as, with an enormous tremor, the entrance to the cave went dark.

A burning, white-hot panic spread through Yorda's entire body. Her vision faded into a black haze. She couldn't see her companions anymore. She couldn't see anything. She couldn't see-  
Her vision flashed back to a rocky ravine, deep in the mountains. The grinding of stone against stone as a massive, twelve-foot tall earth elemental broke through a section of the cliff to get to her. A deep, threatening rumble of the earth.

Two glowing eyes.

Then her vision became a red haze, and the pale half-elf saw nothing.

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

The Dragonborn watched in horror as, with an enormous tremor, the entrance to the cave went dark. She couldn't tell what had happened. A cave-in? Nala quickly looked up at the ceiling. There were stalactites _everywhere_. If those started to come down, they'd all get skewered alive.  
They had to get out. Fast.  
'Everyone! Get to the entrance, quickly! Yorda, do you have any magic that can break through stone?!'  
The pale half-elf didn't respond to her. Nala turned around. Yorda had gotten down on all fours. Her hands, transformed into claws, drew deep gashes into the stone and her eyes were wild and frightened. Almost… feral.  
Nala had never seen that expression on her before.  
'Hey, snap out of it! We have to-'  
She never got to finish her sentence. Yorda darted to the right, a blazing ball of fire appearing between her clawed fingers as she did so. The pale half-elf hurled the flaming sphere at the wall next to them with a feral growl. Then her form shifted, the glow much brighter than usual. Nala had to shield her eyes for a second. When she could see again, the half-elf had disappeared.

Instead, crouching in front of her was a massive white tiger. Its fur had the same soft glow about it that Yorda's skin did – but this creature gave off a completely different vibe than her companion. Nala had experience in dealing with wild beasts. She didn't have to look at the tiger twice to realize what her instinct already knew.  
This thing was _hostile_.  
'Meek!' the Dragonborn yelled, gripping her shield tighter. 'Entrance! NOW!'  
The cave rumbled again. And the tiger bolted. It dashed away from them as the rumbling got worse. Then the Dragonborn noticed something strange. For a second, Nala could swear that she saw the far wall recoil from Yorda's flaming sphere. But that was impossible. Cavern walls couldn't _move_.

But they did. The walls were moving. Nala took off, running after Meek and the rest of the group. As she was running, Nala looked down to the cavern floor. It had been solid before. Not now. The ground grew increasingly squishy underneath her armored boots. The group saw small pools of purplish liquid appear on the cavern floor. Nala accidentally stepped in one as she ran. Her armored boot immediately began to sizzle and smoke when it made contact with the liquid.  
Acid. The pits were filling up with acid.

And then Nala suddenly understood what they were standing inside of. All of the blood drained from her face when she came to the horrible realization. There had been two mimics here, not just one. That was the trap here, not the skeletons. And the second one? They were standing in it.

 _The_ _entire cavern was a mimic_.

And they were trapped inside.

'EVERYONE! RUN!'  
As the tiger clawed its way past a pit of the purple liquid, it dragged the flaming sphere with it. The giant mimic did not seem to like that at all. It recoiled at the burning sensation, growling at the damage from the sphere. Its mouth opened up just a little bit, revealing razor sharp teeth blocking the exit. A little bit of light poured in from the outside. Then it snapped shut again. The sloshing around Nala's feet became worse.  
'Of course it's a _giant fucking mimic!'_ Echo screamed as she ran. 'When do we _ever_ find something that's fucking _normal_?!'  
'We have to get that mouth open!' Alatar yelled at the rest. Another barrage of magic missiles flew out of his sleeves. They slammed into the area around him, causing the giant mimic to groan again. Its teeth opened for another inch before slamming back shut.  
In the middle of the group, Telyn suddenly stopped.  
'What are you doing?! Run!' Nala yelled at her. But the bard didn't listen. She brought her hands up to eye height as she mumbled under her breath. A faint, pink arcane energy swirled around her fingers.

And it had an effect. Almost immediately, the trembles got even worse. Nala could hear a horrible creaking sound and then the ground underneath her suddenly shook so hard that the Dragonborn was hurled off her feet. She got flung to the right, falling down hard on ground that was becoming increasingly acidic. Her face landed not five inches from one of the reeking pools of acid.  
'WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!' she screamed at Telyn. The bard looked back at her with a terrified expression.  
'I told it to run away! I- I thought it would work!'

The acid on the ground started to eat into Nala's armor. The Dragonborn quickly stood back up. She'd been spun around by the force of the impact, once again facing the back wall. Not good. Nala watched as a giant white tiger came running right at her, claws extended.  
'Stop, _it's me!'  
_ As Nala brought up her hands to protect herself, Yorda kicked off against the ground and sailed right over the Dragonborn. The edges of her paws were badly burnt. When Nala looked to the end of the cave, she instantly understood why. The entirety of the cavern was filling up with acid. It was pouring in through the ground, from the ceiling, out of the stalagmites – from everywhere.  
The mimic was trying to eat them. If they didn't get out soon, everyone would get dissolved by its stomach acid.  
It took almost all of the training that she'd had for the paladin not to panic. Nala grabbed her sword and jammed it into the squishy matter under her feet. Then she ran off. The blade drew a large gash behind her as she ran. Mialee and Meek saw her doing that and quickly drew their own blades as well. They followed her example, cutting up the mimic as they went.

It did not like that at all. The ground rumbled again and everyone was hurled off their feet a second time. Meek missed one of the acid pools only by a few inches. Yorda's tiger form got smacked against one of the stalagmites. That wasn't a stalagmite anymore. A large pool of acid had gathered around it. Nala could see tentacle-like vines slither out of the stalagmite, swiping at Yorda.  
'Oh, _come on_! What the fuck?!'  
More tentacles appeared everywhere in the cavern. They swiped at everyone who came close, trying to snag them up and drag them into the acid. Mialee slashed at the nearest one. The brief halt of movement cost her dearly. Behind her, a wave of acidic liquid spilled over the ground. Droplets scattered everywhere. A few of them landed in her neck. Mialee let out a pained scream as Telyn grabbed her by the hand.  
'Mialee, run!'  
They were just in time. Behind them, the acid had filled up over half of the cavern. It was getting very close very fast. Time was running out.

By now, Echo and Yorda had both reached the front of the cavern. The mimic growled in pain at the continued damage that was being done to its inside. They could see the teeth as it growled to keep its mouth shut. Echo wasted no time at all in making his pain worse. She aimed at the nearest tooth, blasting it with her Eldritch Blast. The tooth ripped loose from the socket. It fell out of its mouth, leaving a hole that was just big enough for a person to squeeze through.  
That was more than the mimic could handle. It roared in pain, opening its mouth wide-  
And Echo charged through. Her form dashed out of the mouth and vanished into the sunlight. Yorda followed, tumbling out right after her. The rest was not far behind. They were going to make it.  
As soon as Alatar reached the mimic's mouth, he stopped moving.  
'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?' Nala screamed at him. 'GET OUT!'  
But the wizard stayed where he was. Nala didn't understand what the hell he was up to. And she didn't care. The Dragonborn grabbed Meek and shoved him towards the opening.  
At that moment, the mouth snapped shut.

It was what Alatar had been waiting for. He unleashed another barrage of Magic Missiles on the mimic, forcing the mouth back open. Nala immediately made use of that by shoving Meek through the hole. Telyn and Mialee ran out after him.  
'Alatar! Come on!'  
'After you,' he gestured.  
' _This is not the time for courtesies!'  
_ 'Jump out of the goddamn mouth, paladin!'

She did.

As soon as Nala jumped through to the other side, she realized that there was nothing to land on. They were more than thirty feet aboveground. The Dragonborn felt herself getting pulled down by gravity. Soon she was plummeting to the ground. She screamed, closing her eyes for impact.  
This was going to hurt.

But it didn't. As she fell, Nala could suddenly feel herself slowing down. She opened her eyes again. The ground was still getting closer, but not nearly as fast as it had a second ago. Underneath her she could see Meek, Telyn and Mialee, floating gently towards the surface.  
Nala spun around. Alatar was floating right above her. A blue arcane energy swirled around his arms, and the wizard had a concentrated expression on his face as he mumbled under his breath.  
He'd saved them.  
In that moment, the Dragonborn was actually very impressed with Alatar. Not only had he planned ahead for the mouth to slam shut, but he had even anticipated that they might not be at ground level anymore. For the first time, the Dragonborn was genuinely happy that Alatar was with them.

The group reunited with Echo on the ground. The Tiefling, being the first person to jump out, hadn't been lucky enough to get a Featherfall from Alatar. She had crashed down to the earth full-speed. Echo lay on her back, looking up at the rest with an expression on her face that was both painful and annoyed.  
'Ouch.'  
'Are you all right?' Nala asked, as soon as they'd landed.  
'I've had softer landings. I'll live, damn it.'  
Nala gave her a relieved smile. She helped Echo get up. By now, the rest of the group had landed as well. They all turned around to see what they had just escaped from.

It was the weirdest thing that Nala had ever seen. There, in the distance, she Dragonborn saw a strange amorphous blob. The thing had sprouted arms and legs, if you could even call it that. It was enormous. At least as large as a house.  
It was also hightailing it away from the group as fast as possible. The ground shook with every step that it took. Acid was sprayed everywhere. The thing made a beeline for the hills behind them. It looked a little bit like a stretched-out rotten grape, actually. If grapes could grow to the size of a house. Thinking about it made Nala chuckle. That had to be the weirdest thing that they'd encountered all month.  
'What are you laughing about?' Mialee asked her. In response, Nala pointed at the giant mimic.  
'Look at that. It looks like a giant rotting grape. We were stuck in a giant rotting grape.'  
The brown-haired elf let herself fall down on the grass with a deep sigh.  
'We made it. We made it out alive.'  
'That was AMAZING!' Meek yelled out. 'Is this what adventurers do?! Do you do this all the time?!'  
The young redhead was glowing with excitement. Almost literally- his cheeks had never been so red and he had a glimmer in his eyes that was even stronger than yesterday.  
'Usually we try to not get eaten alive by things,' Nala chuckled at him. 'Right, Echo?'  
The Tiefling didn't answer. Nala turned around to see her glancing around with a worried expression on her face.  
'Where is Yorda?'

Only then did Nala realize that the glowing half-elf was not with them. In fact, she wasn't anywhere in sight. That wasn't good. Nala remembered the feral look in her eyes, just before she'd turned into a tiger. Was she still like that? Where had she gone?  
'There!' Mialee yelled. The elven ranger was pointing to the north. Nala followed her gaze. She had to squint to see anything. In the far distance, the Dragonborn could just barely make out a tiny white spec. Bolting away from them.

Heading for the volcano.

'…Fuck.'


	28. Chapter 2,1 - Woodland Shenanigans

**Chapter 2 – A father's sorrow**

* * *

 **2.1 – Woodland shenanigans**

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

'Are you sure that you want to do this?'  
The pale half-elf nodded, a look of strong determination in her eyes. She wasn't glancing at her companion. She was looking down over the ridge, into the volcano. They had found a passage in the side of the mountain, leading down below. Yorda could see a faint, orange glow in the distance.  
'The choice is yours. I will never force you into anything – but understand that raw elemental power is incredibly dangerous, Yorda. It is in their nature to be unpredictable.'  
A small smile spread on her lips.  
'That's why I want to go.'

The pale half-elf stood up and, slowly, began to walk towards the volcanic passage. The orange glow was almost hypnotic. Yorda found herself being drawn to it like a moth to a flame. As she ventured deeper into the passage, that glow became brighter and brighter. The pale half-elf could feel the heat emanating from inside. It soon began to feel uncomfortable on her skin. Yorda kept going, ignoring the steady rise in temperature.

Eventually, the pale half-elf reached the end of the passage. It came out in a slightly elevated platform, towering over the cavernous space below. Yorda cautiously approached the edge to look down.

She wasn't prepared for what she found.

A blazing river of pure elemental fire spread out beneath her, following a serpentine path throughout the entire cavern before vanishing down below. The heat was enormous. Multiple shapes were moving inside that flaming river. Yorda could see creatures made entirely out of flames and smoke. Their features just slightly humanoid, they danced in and out of the fiery river at will. The ground was set ablaze wherever they went. Flames leaked everywhere, dimming and brightening in an everlasting dance of destruction.

It was the most beautiful thing that Yorda had ever seen.

Eyes wide with wonder, the pale half-elf followed the fire elemental's intricate dance. The fire shaped and bent to their will, spreading and thinning at the slightest twitch of their bodies. They had complete control over those flames. If they felt like it, those few fire elementals could probably burn this entire mountain range and the surrounding forest to the ground. But they didn't. No, what Yorda saw down there was harmony. Whenever an elemental drew close to another one, the flames surrounding them would flicker and change. Sometimes dimming. Sometimes flashing up wildly before dying back down. It took the pale half-elf a while to understand what she was seeing.

Were they… communicating?

Two elementals drew close to each other again. A small bonfire sprang to life between the two of them. She watched as the flames brightened and dimmed, dancing at their touch. Yorda bit her lip, a concentrated frown on her face. They really were communicating through those flames. The small half-elf cautiously brought up her hand and muttered under her breath. If they could do it, then she could, too. She snapped her fingers – but nothing happened. Her frown deepened. She tried again, to the same effect.

The third try resulted in a small, barely visible ember to appear on the rocky ground. An excited smile spread across Yorda's face. That was a start. She could do this. The pale half-elf brought up her hands to snap her fingers a fourth time-

But the flames flared up before she even got the chance to do anything. Red-hot flames sprang to life right in front of her, inches away from her face. Yorda let out a surprised scream. She staggered back, tripping over a loose rock on the ground. The half-elf fell flat on her behind. As she did, she could feel something singing the back of her hair. It hurt. Bad. Yorda turned around, trying to get away from whatever was doing that-

And came face-to-face with another creature. A vague humanoid shape, made entirely out of flames and smoke. With a fiery sphere where its head would be.

And two glowing, orange eyes, staring right at her.

* * *

When the pale half-elf came to her senses, she was alone. Yorda found herself crouched down on all fours, clawing into the earth beneath her. Every muscle in her body was tensed to their limit. Her heart was hammering in her chest, with cold sweat pouring over her back in streams.

She wasn't underground anymore.

Yorda slowly relaxed, taking deep breaths in and out. It was all right. She wasn't buried. It took her a while, but she eventually calmed down. Yorda glanced around her, looking for Echo.  
She didn't find her. The pale half-elf was surrounded by rolling hills and grassland, stretching out as far as the eye could see. The vague outline of Mount Hoteno loomed in the distance. There wasn't anyone else with her. Yorda was alone.

The pale half-elf bit her lip as she slowly brought her hands up to her face. But her fingers were clean. So were her feet, and the rest of her body. No traces of blood anywhere. Yorda let out a soft sigh of relief. At least she hadn't killed anyone.  
Probably.  
But then… what had happened?

The pale half-elf stood up. She had to find the others. Yes. That was the plan. Find the others, and figure out how much time had passed. And what had happened. If she had made it out of that cave, then the others probably had, too. Yorda nodded to herself and stepped forward.  
And promptly fell back down on the grass. Her legs had buckled underneath her. They were shaking too much to walk properly. The pale half-elf tried again, to the same result. Eventually she was forced to give up and rest.  
For now, Yorda wasn't going anywhere.

* * *

It did not take long for the rest of the group to find her. Yorda was still so out of it, she didn't actually notice them until Echo was practically next to her.  
'…listening? Snap out of it!'  
Yorda glanced up. Echo and Nala were looking down on her with worried frowns on their faces. The Dragonborn cautiously put out her hand for Yorda to grab onto.  
'Are you all right? What happened?'  
'Yeah, why'd you bail on us like that?' Alatar added. The wizard's robes were slightly singed from… something. Nala's boots were as well. In fact, none of them looked very great. The pale half-elf racked her brain to try and remember what happened- and came up empty.  
Echo saw her confusion and took it upon herself to explain.  
'Turns out there was another fucking mimic,' she grumbled. 'And we were standing inside of it. Mimic stomach acid is disgusting.'  
That explained the weirdly sweet smell. And the skeletons. Yorda groaned, grasping at her head. She could feel a headache coming up.  
'How much time has passed since the cave?'  
'About an hour,' Nala replied. The Dragonborn was looking at her with a strange expression on her face. Yorda sighed. An hour. That was a long time. Then again, she'd been gone for longer. It could have been a lot worse.  
'You still haven't answered the question, druid,' Alatar pushed. 'Why'd you bail on everyone like that?'  
His gaze was piercing and just a little bit suspicious. Yorda turned away from him, avoiding the question.  
'I… I don't like being buried alive.'  
'I don't think anyone likes that. That's no reason to panic and run off.'

He had a point, but he didn't know the whole story. And Yorda did not feel like telling him. Not like this. So she just stayed silent. Nala seemed to pick up on her unwillingness to talk. She quickly took over the conversation.  
'Well, at least we're all safe. I'm sorry that your cave turned out to be a trap, Meek.'  
'Are you kidding me? That was _amazing_!' the young redhead yelled. 'I think that was the best day in my life! And you guys do this all the time, right?'  
'Pretty much.'  
'If that's true, then adventuring is the best thing _ever_!'  
He gave them a big grin, patting the sword on his side. Meek's enthusiasm certainly hadn't dwindled. Nala shook her head, looking amused and slightly worried at the same time.  
'Well, here's to your first adventure, then. I'm glad that we all made it out alive. We should get you back to Neverwinter soon, Meek. The rest of us have… some things to talk about, too.'  
She turned southward. Neverwinter was far enough away that it wasn't visible on the horizon anymore, but they all knew where they'd come from. It wouldn't take too long to walk back.

'Wait,' Mialee suddenly said. 'We're going back to Neverwinter?'  
'That is the plan, yes.'  
'If we're walking for a day, anyway, would you guys mind if we take a detour through the woods?'  
The brown-haired elf was pointing to their east. Yorda could see the beginnings of a treeline in the far distance.  
'Why?' Alatar asked, his eyebrows raised. Mialee made a strange gesture with her head. It was somewhere in between a nod and a shrug.  
'I… I want to search for tracks.'  
'…You want to search for tracks.'  
'Elf tracks.'  
'You want to search for elf tracks. In the woods.'  
'Yes,' Mialee nodded. 'My clan might be out there. I can't be sure, but… I _can_ be sure that I won't find anything if I don't search.'  
'Do you have any idea how large the Neverwinter woods are, elf?' Alatar snorted. 'There are tracks of all kinds of things all over that forest. That's like finding a needle in a haystack. Made of needles.'  
Mialee huffed at him. As a wood elf, she probably knew more about the forest than anyone in the group.  
'I realize that, half-breed. I'm not asking you to understand, I'm just asking for us to make a little detour.'  
Alatar squinted his eyes at the term "half-breed", but otherwise did not respond to the insult. Eventually he just shrugged.  
'Do what you want, elf.'

* * *

 _With the combined abilities of Mialee and Yorda, it did not take the group long to come across a set of suspicious tracks. Not from elves. Those were orc tracks. Vengeance still on her mind, Mialee decided to follow them._

 _At some point the group lost track of Telyn, who had gotten separated from the group by following the songs of crows. They didn't pursue her – Telyn had a habit of vanishing and reappearing when she felt like it. Instead, the group stuck to the orc tracks. They were eventually led deeper into the Neverwinter Woods than they had intended…_

* * *

Eventually, the orc tracks led them to a small clearing in the woods. A single river blocked their path. Greenish blue water ran past them slowly, the occasional leaf swept along for the ride. It would not be too difficult to cross the river on foot.

Luckily, they would not have to. A slightly worn-down wooden bridge spread to the other side of the riverbank. It looked a little rickety, but otherwise safe to cross.  
It also had a person standing right in the middle of it. In front of them was a knight. Dark, dangerous-looking armor and a full-face helmet made it impossible to see who exactly was blocking their passage. The man looked truly intimidating. A huge greatsword at his side, the knight turned to face them. His helmet had a single eye slit in it. A dull, blueish glow shone out from underneath that helmet.

That couldn't be good.

With a low, booming voice, the knight spoke.  
'You who approach. None shall pass unless they face me as a warrior in single combat.'  
That definitely did not sound good. There was something weird about this knight, but Yorda couldn't quite put her finger on it. She glanced over at her companions. Nala, Alatar and Echo also seemed to have their doubts about this. But not Mialee. The elf was glancing down, and Yorda quickly followed her gaze. The orc tracks that they'd been following kept going towards the bridge. If they wanted to keep following them, they would have to cross. Mialee seemed to have come to that conclusion, too. Because the brown-haired elf stepped forward, drawing her own blades in a single fluid motion.  
'I'll take you on.'  
The helmet bobbed up and down in a slow nod.  
'So be it.'

He drew his blade. From the guard to the point, the greatsword was almost as long as Yorda was. A few dents riddled the iron and a part was chipped off near the point. It was old – but that blade could easily chop their heads off nonetheless.  
Mialee did not seem to realize that. She lunged forward, her own blades drawn. The brown-haired elf slashed at his side. But the armor was too thick. Her shortswords merely scraped past the dark metal, doing no damage whatsoever. And the knight retaliated. With much more agility than should be possible for a giant armored suit, he sidestepped the elf and took a swing at her head. Mialee only barely managed to evade his blade. But the knight kept going, spinning around and using the momentum to slash at her a second time.  
'Mialee! Watch out!'  
Too late. The blade caught her full in the chest. Only her studded armor kept her from getting cleaved in half. Yorda could see a red stain spreading on her tunic as Mialee was knocked backwards by the force. She quickly ran towards her brown-haired companion.  
'Mialee!'  
'Get off the bridge,' the green-eyed elf growled. 'I can handle this.'  
'We don't have to cross here. We can just find a different spot!'  
'We'll lose the orc tracks.'  
This was ridiculous. That knight was twice the size that she was. And they didn't even set out to find orc tracks in the first place. Once again, Mialee had gotten tunnel-vision upon finding her enemies. She was not going to stop. Mialee put her arm out, gesturing for Yorda to step back.  
'I can handle this.'  
She lunged forward a second time. It was the exact wrong moment to do so. The knight caught her with his sword a second time, sending her sprawling against the wooden railing.  
'You are no match for me.'  
'Shut up,' the green-eyed elf growled. She went for him a third time, ducking underneath his greatsword to avoid the swing. The knight hadn't expected that. As he reeled back, Mialee slashed at his head. Her swords made contact with his helmet – and watched in stunned shock as it rolled off his body, leaving a gaping hole behind. There was nothing underneath. No head. Just a hole. The armored suit was empty. Yorda watched as the helmet hit the ground, came to a halt… and floated back to the armor. It set itself back on with a soft _click_.  
'What the fuck?!' Echo yelled from behind them. Yorda's eyes narrowed. There was something weird about this. Something oddly… familiar. From the direction of the armor, she could hear soft giggling.  
'I am a mighty *giggle* warrior!'

Ah. So that's what it was.

Yorda crossed the bridge.  
'Hey!' Mialee yelled, frustrated. But the pale half-elf didn't care. She knew what was going on. The armored suit took a swing at Yorda, leaving his arm exposed for Mialee – and the ranger immediately made use of that by slashing at it. With a crack, the arm popped off of the body. A large clattering sound echoed through the area as both the arm and the greatsword fell on the ground. Yorda grabbed hold of the arm, dragging it with her as she crossed the bridge. From behind her, that high-pitched voice rang out a second time.  
'H-hey! Give that back!'  
The armored suit went to grab her. He didn't get far. As he took a step away from Mialee, the brown-haired elf slashed at his leg. It came off just as the arm did, making the suit lose his balance and come crashing down. With a _clang-clang-clang_ , the helmet rolled away from it a second time. It came to a halt near Yorda's legs. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then something came tumbling out from under the helmet. A tiny, humanoid-like creature with greenish glowing wings rolled out of the helmet like a drunken Halfling after a barrel roll. Her short, reddish hair was jumbled from the crash and a dazed expression played on her face as she flew up, trying to get her bearings.  
Yorda immediately struck. Her fingers grew into wicked claws as she pounced on the pixie, catching it between them in a hand-sized cage. As soon as she realized that she'd been caught, the pixie began to panic.  
'No! Let me out! Let me out!'  
'Stop squirming,' Yorda growled at her.  
From the direction of the amored suit, another high-pitched voice rang out.  
'No! Don't hurt her!'  
Yorda turned around to her group. By now, everyone had caught up to what was happening. Echo looked mildly amused, but both Mialee and Alatar had sour looks on their faces. The Dragonborn rubbed the top of her nose for a moment, before calling out to the suit.  
'We know you're there. Show yourself.'

She did. The group watched as another pixie flew out from inside the armored suit. This one had a soft purple glow and long, blue hair that covered almost her entire body. As soon as the pixie popped out, the armored suit stopped moving. Apparently the two of them had been controlling it. The purple pixie darted towards Yorda, stopping inches away from her clawed hands.  
'Please! It was just a prank!'  
Sylvan was a very tone-sensitive language, even more so than Druidic. It almost sounded like singing. Yorda saw Alatar, Nala and Echo all look at the scene in front of them with confused expressions. They couldn't understand the pixie.

But Yorda did. And from the looks of it, so did Mialee. The pale half-elf brought her hands up to her face, staring at the pixie inside.  
'I'm going to let you go now. Be careful of the claws.'  
She carefully opened her hands to let the green-winged pixie go free, like you would set free a butterfly. She immediately joined her purple friend.  
'That was very stupid,' Mialee spoke to them in Sylvan. 'We could have killed you.'  
The pixies didn't look like they were sorry at all. They darted up to her face, inspecting her golden head ornament and green eyes as they giggled to themselves.  
'It's not a _deadly_ prank! Well, sometimes it is.'  
'We've never pranked someone who can speak our words!' the other one chittered. 'Are you Fey? Are you from around here?'  
'No. I'm from a forest far to the south,' Mialee replied. The pixies moved away from her face and back towards Yorda. They pointed at the rest of the group, who by now were walking towards them.  
'And them?'  
'I have no idea what the fuck is going on,' Echo mumbled to Nala. The Dragonborn merely shrugged. She didn't know, either.  
'Hey- Yorda! Mialee! Translate for us, would you?'  
They did – or Yorda did, at least. Mialee still seemed to have other matters on her mind than pixies. She looked back towards the orc tracks.  
'So you've been pranking people on this bridge?'  
'Oh, yes! Many people.'  
'Stupid people.'  
'Many stupid people!'  
'Like orcs?' Mialee asked them. They bobbed up and down enthusiastically.  
'Orcs too, oh, yes. Many stupid orcs.'  
'They never knew what hit them!' the green pixie chittered. She seemed to be the more excitable one of the two. Her friend nodded at her words.  
'Yes. But not all at once. Too many to prank.'  
'So we hid!'  
Mialee's eyes narrowed.  
'There were a lot of orcs here before?'  
'Oh, yes! Many of them. Nasty things.'  
'They were going east. Past the bridge and north of the creek.'

Meanwhile, Nala and Echo had moved over to inspect the armored suit. It was surprisingly heavy. Nala actually had to strain herself a little to lift it up. The two of them looked inside curiously, wondering if one of them would be able to wear it.  
'… that's weird,' the Tiefling suddenly muttered. She was holding the severed arm. It looked like she'd tried to put her own arm into it to see if it fit – but there was no room for her arm to slide in. Nala looked down into the suit and came to the same conclusion. The armor was hollow, but only barely. The metal was so thick that there was little room left for anything else. Even the skinniest person alive would not be able to wear this. It didn't look like it was made to fit someone at all. This was not designed for a person to wear.  
'Who'd make armor that can't be used as armor?' Nala thought out loud. 'Did you two create this?'  
The pixies flew over to Nala. They inspected her in the same way that they did Mialee, before chittering in common:  
'Of course not! We found it!'  
'Found it and took it. It's great for pranks!'  
Nala frowned. She flipped the armor over, wanting to inspect the back. It looked like any armored suit would look – except for a small indentation at the top. It looked almost like a slot for something. It was empty, though. There was definitely something missing there.  
'Where did you find this?'  
'Deeper in the woods. At the tower.'  
'What tower?' Alatar asked with raised eyebrows.  
'The abandoned one!'  
'The wizard's tower. We found it there.'

That was new. Yorda hadn't expected there to be an abandoned tower in the middle of the woods like that. Then again, she knew next to nothing about wizards in the first place. Maybe they left towers behind everywhere, and it was a normal thing to find.  
'Did you go inside?' Alatar asked, interest gleaming in his eyes. The purple pixie shook her head.  
'Oh, no. It's way too dangerous in there.'  
'Lots of magic.'  
'And magic residue.'  
'We found the suit outside. That was safe. But we won't go in.'  
Alatar was clearly intrigued. So were Nala and Echo. Apparently it wasn't such an everyday thing, after all. The Dragonborn turned back towards the pixies.  
'Where would we find that tower? Can you lead us there?'  
The pixies looked at each other for a second before answering.  
'Yeah, we can.'  
'But we won't!'  
'Not for free.'  
'What would you want in return?'

That wasn't good. Yorda's body tensed up as she looked at the pixies in front of her, waiting for their answer. Fey were dangerous to deal with. Especially if you were careless with your promises. Nala didn't seem to realize that, though. The two pixies whispered to each other for a little, before coming to some sort of decision.  
'You got any gold?'  
Yorda exhaled slowly. That wasn't so bad. The Dragonborn dug around in her pockets, fishing up two gold pieces. They were almost as big as the pixies themselves. They nodded enthusiastically at the gold.  
'Yes! Give us that. We'll do it for that.'  
Nala handed the gold over. The pixies took it from her hands, and immediately darted off towards the nearest tree. The group watched as they flew all the way up to the higher branches. Gently, they wedged them in between some sprigs. Almost as if they were decorations. The pixies nodded to each other before flying back down.  
'Okay! We'll take you now.'  
'This way. Follow us!'  
And they took off a second time. They were fast, too. The group quickly followed after them.  
'Wait!' Echo yelled as they ran. 'What if there are traps?'  
The pixies only turned around long enough for them to look at the Tiefling before darting further.  
'Don't fall into them.'  
'Yeah! Don't!'  
Echo grumbled a few curses in response. She didn't have time to do anything else, though. It took them all of their concentration not to lose the two darting pixies. As they ran, Echo turned towards Nala.  
'We're following pixies. Into the deepest parts of the forest. Without knowing what's out there.'  
Nala nodded.  
'Yeah.'  
'Just so you know, this is a terrible idea.'

* * *

 **Alatar**

* * *

Eventually, the pixies slowed down their pace into a comfortable walk. The group learned their names: Periwinkle and Mistletoe. It was a nice change from the group's usual encounters, and they were just as interested in the two pixies as Periwinkle and Mistletoe were interested in them. Even Alatar found himself being mildly intrigued. The purple one – Periwinkle – had nestled down on Yorda's shoulder, while the green one flew towards his hooded form.  
'You a wizardy type?'  
'Perhaps,' Alatar replied to Mistletoe. 'But you've got magic, too, don't you?'  
She looked him over for a second, before mimicking his smirk with a remarkable accuracy. For a moment, it was almost as if he was looking at a female version of his own face.  
'Perhaps.'  
It was slightly off-putting and entertaining at the same time. Alatar felt himself wanting to know more.  
'Well, show me, then. What have you got?'  
'What have _you_ got?' Mistletoe giggled, making somersaults in the air. Alatar dug around in his pockets, pulling out another gold coin.  
'How's that for motivation?'  
She eagerly took the coin while still upside down in the air. With a soft _poof_ , the gold piece vanished from sight.  
'Okay! Hold still, wizzy!'

Mistletoe suddenly darted towards him until she was inches away from his face. Alatar felt a tiny, tiny hand make contact with his forehead. The next moment, his vision shifted. Alatar watched as the entire world suddenly became much bigger than he was used to. His peripheral widened until he could even see the trees behind him. It felt strange – his ears were cold. The wizard tried to feel them with his hands, but suddenly realized that he had no fingers. He looked down. Two hooves were where his hands would be, resting on the ground. He opened his mouth to speak-  
' _Baaah.'  
_ He was bleating instead of talking. Why was he bleating instead of talking? Alatar looked down at his hooves again. Glanced behind him to see white, curly… wool?  
Then he realized. He was a sheep.  
They'd turned him into a sheep.

The rest of the group, now bigger and taller than him, all roared with laughter. Especially Echo – the Tiefling held her stomach as she shook, laughing loudly.  
'A sheep! You turned him into *hic* a fucking sheep! That's hilarious!'  
Alatar opened his mouth to protest, but nothing but more bleating came out. He was starting to get frustrated. Then Echo reached behind her, taking out a nasty-looking steel dagger. A smirk spread on her face, her teeth suddenly looking a lot more pointy and a lot scarier.  
'Might as well take advantage of that. Let's get some wool!'

And she approached him with the dagger. Lowered it towards him. Oh hell, no. Alatar was having none of that. He pounced before she could, bolting forward with his head down like a battering ram. It hurt, too. Echo had all the air squeezed out of her lungs as Ala-sheep nailed her right in the abdomen. The Tiefling only barely remained standing. She obviously hadn't expected that. A red glow appeared in Echo's eyes. Her grin widened as she reached for the spider staff on her back.  
'You'll pay for that.'  
And the Tiefling struck. Hard. With a loud _crack_ , the staff smacked down onto Alatar's skull. He slumped down, his vision going hazy-  
'Alatar! Hey, _snap out of it!'  
_ The wizard blinked. Nala was standing in front of him, a worried expression on her face. She wasn't a giant anymore. Alatar blinked again. The world had turned back to normal proportions. He cautiously brought his hand up to his forehead. His skull wasn't cracked, or even bruised. Echo was nowhere near him, either.  
What… had just happened?  
'You're looking very pale,' Yorda observed out loud. Mistletoe and Periwinkle were sitting on her shoulders. The green-winged pixie gave Alatar a knowing smirk, and a wink. Alatar shook his head, shrugging off the illusion.  
Right. No more magic tricks with pixies.  
Ever.

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

Eventually the group came upon a small forest clearing. There, they found what they had been looking for. A cracked, overgrown building stood in the middle of the clearing. A single tower spiraled up behind it, reaching a few stories high. The roof was destroyed and Yorda could see parts of the stone structure starting to crumble. Thick, dark roots pierced the walls of the building, slowly breaking it down with the passage of time.  
'That looks abandoned, all right,' Mialee nodded. She was right. All of the windows were broken. The front door hung crooked in its hinges, making it impossible to close. Whoever had lived here before, they were long gone.  
'You found that armored suit here?' Yorda asked, looking at the purple pixie on her shoulder. Periwinkle nodded once.  
'They're fun to play with. There's more inside. But we don't take those. Those are dangerous.'  
'Too much magic around,' Mistletoe added. 'So we don't go inside. Ever.'  
'I see. Thank you for guiding us to the tower. We'll take it from here.'  
They flew back up into the air, looking down at the group. In the dimming light of the setting sun, the two of them sparkled even more than they did a few hours ago. Periwinkle giggled.  
'You guys are weird. Come visit us sometime.'  
'Yeah! Come play with us! Goodbye!'

And with that, they darted off back into the forest. Within moments they were out of sight. Yorda was slightly sad to see them go. They'd been familiar, and the pale half-elf had enjoyed their playfulness. Maybe they would see them again someday.

As the sun finally set beneath the treetops, the group found themselves looking at the abandoned building suspiciously. Nothing moved behind those windows. Nothing at all. But everyone couldn't help but feel a sense of… dread, gazing inside. It was a strange, cold sensation and Yorda did not like it.  
'I don't know about all of you,' Echo eventually said, 'but I don't feel like fighting whatever is in there in the dark. We've been going non-stop since that giant mimic, too. Getting trapped in there at half power is a bad idea.'  
'What do you propose?' Alatar asked.  
'We camp out here. Take turns keeping watch. We can go in there in the morning, when all of us can see properly.'  
Echo glanced at Nala as she said that. The Dragonborn shrugged. She did have a point.  
'She's right. Sleep would be good.'

They quickly decided on who would take watch duty for the night. Both Meek and Yorda were free for a full rest, so she moved away from the group – until Echo stopped her, grabbing her by the arm.  
'A word?'  
She looked unusually serious. Yorda nodded, and the two of them moved to a spot that was a little further from the rest of the group. The Tiefling checked left and right to make sure that nobody was listening. Then she turned to Yorda with a worried expression on her horned face.  
'Are you all right?'  
The pale half-elf instantly realized what Echo was referring to. Yorda shook her head, giving her a single smile.  
'No.'  
'I didn't think so. What happened?'

Yorda had not wanted to talk about it in front of everyone before. She still didn't really want to. But she did owe them an explanation. Her mind trailed back to the events of the previous morning. The burning, white-hot panic spreading through Yorda's entire body. Her vision fading into a red haze. Waking up miles from everyone else, in the middle of the hills.  
'It's… it's hard to explain.'  
'You told me that you can't handle being trapped underground. But I didn't know that it was _this_ bad. Did you even recognize us as that tiger?'  
'I was a tiger?' Yorda replied, surprised. Echo's expression darkened, her frown deepening.  
'You were. You don't even remember that?'  
The pale half-elf shook her head. She really hadn't wanted them to see that side of her at all. But they had. Now she owed it to them to explain why. Yorda sighed, gathering the words in her mind.  
'It's like a defense mechanism. I… have had to claw my way through a number of things in the past. Instinct is strong within you if you live like that.'  
'What do you mean?'  
This was more difficult to explain then she'd thought. Yorda bit her lower lip, trying to come up with the right words.  
'See it like that… bear, that I shift into when my natural body isn't strong enough. It's… it's like that. When my mind sees something that is too dangerous, or when it gets really, _really_ scared, that bear can take over. And even though it is easy to let it step in, it's very difficult to make it stand down.'  
She really couldn't explain it any better than that. Echo's frown had sunk even deeper. When Yorda finished, the Tiefling crossed her arms in contemplation.  
'Can you get rid of it? Maybe I can help you.'  
That came as a surprise. The pale half-elf wasn't used to Echo being so helpful. That wasn't like her. At all. Usually the Tiefling kept her distance, preferring to let others deal with problems and take the damage for her. But not this time. What had changed?

Eventually Yorda realized that the Tiefling was waiting for an answer. She shook her head, smiling at her.  
'Thank you. I appreciate that… but I don't think that anything can be done about it now. Not for a while, at least. Don't… don't worry about it for now. This rarely happens. And what are the chances that we walk into another giant mimic?'  
'Don't even fucking joke about that,' the Tiefling replied. 'That thing was horrible.'  
'I know. I'm sorry.'  
The Tiefling's expression softened. She patted Yorda on the shoulder, gesturing back towards the rest of the group.  
'Come on. We should get some sleep.'

* * *

 _Okay, good news and bad news. The good news is that I've got a couple of chapters in lineup for the next few weeks._

 _The bad news is that our DM has put our campaign on hold, because of stress surrounding graduation. That was about a month ago. We're hoping to pick up where we left off around June/July ish. I'm planning the posting of chapters so that they'll run out around that time, hoping that nothing happens to delay graduation. Expect one every two/3 weeks or so._

 _Just giving you guys a heads-up._

 _As always, comments are appreciated! I love to hear what you think about the story. ^.^_


	29. Chapter 2,2 - The Wizard's Tower

**Chapter 2.2 – The wizard's Tower**

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

The Dragonborn had been given third watch, together with Alatar. As the two of them still didn't exactly see eye-to-eye, they sat on opposite sides of the group, keeping an eye out in both directions. It worked… sort of.

Until it didn't.

Nala was surprised by a sudden rustling of bushes to her left, right in between the gazes of both herself and Alatar. As she turned around, so did the wizard. Both of them came face-to-face with a familiar figure.  
'Well, that took you long enough to notice.'  
Brown fur, large antlers and an arrogant look in his beady black eyes. There was no doubt about it. This was Capricornicus, the same deer that they'd encountered once before. But there was one big difference. This time, the deer was standing up on two legs, walking towards them like a human would. It looked ridiculous… and oddly fitting.

Nala began to cast another _Speak with Animals_ spell when Capricornicus cut her off.  
'No, that will not be necessary. One time was embarrassment enough. Thank you kindly, _paladin_.'  
'You?' Alatar gasped at the familiar.  
'Yes, you babbling buffoon. Or do you know of any other talking deer? I think not.'  
'I've been trying to contact you for days!'  
The deer rolled his eyes at that, crossing his front legs like a human would cross their arms.  
'And why would I stoop so low as to become a messenger? My talents place me far above such humiliation.'  
The wizard seemed to want to reply to that, but then changed his mind and kept silent. Nala looked at Capricornicus curiously.  
'Why are you here, then?'  
'As I am sure your simple mind has forgotten already, I am tasked with keeping a watchful eye on our little magician here. I came forth because I sensed some form of change in his physical form before. Alas, he seems fine.'

Nala still hadn't gotten used to the insults that the deer doled out on a regular basis. In fact, he seemed to be incapable of uttering more than a few sentences without some kind of patronizing remark. It was frustrating and mildly fascinating at the same time. Nala tried to wrap her head around it, but all she could come up with was…

Just what.

'Anyway, now that I have your ear, I have a message from you from your master.'  
Alatar let out a snicker.  
'Didn't you _just_ say that you didn't want to be a messenger?'  
'For _you_ , you simpleton. But enough of that.'  
Capricornicus pointed over to the ruined wizard tower.  
'The master wishes for you to venture inside that structure. You are to retrieve a large enchanted ruby, about yae big.'

He held up his hoof to illustrate the size. But without fingers, he couldn't indicate anything. Nala and Alatar both looked at him with frowns on their faces.  
'That's… your hoof.'  
'Yes. Your point?'  
Nala blinked and looked at Alatar in confusion. The wizard just shook his head at her.  
'Don't. Just nod. Just nod and he'll go away.'  
'You will search for it, then?' the deer answered. Alatar bowed his head reluctantly.  
'I will. What is so special about this ruby?'  
'That information is not required for you to complete your task. Or shall I report to the master that his pupil is unable to carry out even the simplest of commands?'  
'Oh, for crying out- fine! I'll find your bloody ruby for you!'  
A smug smirk played on the deer's face. For an animal with a muzzle, Capricornicus was strangely expressive.  
'Of course you will. I will contact you again after the deed is done. Don't disappoint us.'

And his form vanished. Just like that. Faded from view until there was nothing left of him. Nala and Alatar were left standing next to each other, both trying to wrap their heads around the encounter. The paladin shot the wizard a confused look. He just shrugged again, seemingly just as bad at dealing with the deer as she was.

Once again, this was getting weird.

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

The rest of their watch continued without problems. Before too long, dawn had crept around the horizon and the rest of the group woke up. After a quick breakfast of goodberries and conjured water, they were ready to go inside.

Almost, at least.

'So what's the plan?' Echo asked as she peeked at the door from the back of the group. 'Alatar, what should we expect in there?'  
'Why are you asking me?'  
'Because you're a wizard!'  
'That doesn't mean I know the layout to every wizard tower!' Alatar snapped. 'The structure differs from person to person, and so does the magic!'

The Tiefling let out an angry huff, turning away from him. By now, Yorda and Mialee had approached the front door. It was dark inside, but not so dark that they couldn't see anything. The pale half-elf cautiously peeked around the door. The roots had spread to the inside of the building, as well. Yorda could see ivy-covered columns lining the walls of what once must have been a magnificent entrance hall. Dusty old chairs and ruined vanities were pushed back from the middle of the room. Yorda could see elegant wallpaper, faded to a dull grey and partly peeled off the walls from decay. A once magnificent curved staircase led upstairs. Something that looked like a wooden chest had fallen down from a hole in the rotting ceiling, breaking part of the stairs and the railing. There was rubble everywhere.

But that wasn't what really caught her attention. No, what caught her attention was that there were things on the floor. Yorda's eyes narrowed as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. They looked like the armor suit from before, but… smaller. And made from a different metal. Scattered all over the once magnificent entrance hall were at least a dozen armored husks, all of different sizes. Some were standing up, but many had toppled over. They all had the same rough shape. Round metal plates were bolted together into a makeshift torso, with short arms sticking out on the sides. Their feet were nothing more than metal rectangles, bolted to round stubbles that were connected to the torso.

But the most disturbing part was their eyes. As Yorda glanced over the many armor husks in the room, she noticed that they all had missing holes where a human's eyes would be. From behind those holes, Yorda could see a faint, faint red glow.

That couldn't be good.

'What are those?' Mialee whispered next to her. Yorda could only shrug. She didn't know, either. At that moment Nala stepped forward, muttering under her breath as she extended her hand towards the husks. A faint, barely visible whiff of energy trailed from her fingers into the entrance hall. Then it faded, and Nala's frown deepened.  
'Careful. There is a magical aura coming from there.'  
'From which one?'  
She shot them an ominous look.  
'All of them.'

It took the group a good five minutes to go inside after that. Echo and Meek were in the very back of the group, not at all comfortable with the situation so far. Nala and Alatar walked in the middle, their senses focused and their hands on their weapons. They noticed something as they walked. The husks's red glow brightened whenever they drew close to one, and would dim as soon as they walked away. It was eerie, and disturbing.

Mialee and Yorda were in the front, as usual. As soon as they were sure that the place wasn't trapped, the pale half-elf slowly made her way over to one of the tinier husks. This one was toppled over, and only slightly bigger than her hand. Almost the size of a toy, actually. She poked it once before gently picking it up.  
'It's talking.'  
It was soft, almost unhearable. But Yorda was sure of it. She brought her ear closer to the husk as Mialee did the same. From within the metal body, a soft voice could be heard.  
'Can…'  
She flipped the husk over. This one also had a slot embedded in the back. Yorda could see a small, red sliver of… something. Her fingers were too big to get to it. At that moment Alatar, who had been looking the other way when Yorda and Mialee went to investigate the husk, turned around with an angry expression on his face.  
'Put that down! You'll end up triggering something!'  
He had a point, but he didn't have to be so aggressive about it, Yorda thought. She carefully placed the husk back on the ground.  
'They have not shown us any hostility.'

There was something about these husks. Yorda had no idea what they were. But a strange feeling in her stomach told her that she needed to find out. She glanced around. There were two doors in the entrance hall, one to their left and one to their right. Together with the staircase, that made for three places to explore.  
'Can…'  
'C-could someone explain to me again what we're doing here?' Meek squeaked from the back of the group. He seemed very uncomfortable, and his sword hand was shaking a little. Alatar made a gesture that was somewhere in between a shrug and a nod.  
'We're looking for something.'  
'We are?' Echo replied, surprise resounding in her voice. 'Since when?'  
'Don't worry about it. Wizard magic is complicated. But there might be monsters.'  
He bypassed Yorda and Mialee, moving to the front of the group. Then he seemed to change his mind and turned around. In a condescending tone, Alatar addressed all of them.  
'I will lead the way. Don't do anything _stupid_.'

With that, the wizard walked towards the door on the right. Nala and Echo both followed him, the Tiefling angrily mumbling to herself. She had picked up on his patronizing tone, too. And so had Mialee. The brown-haired elf looked at Yorda, and the two exchanged a knowing look. As soon as Alatar was out of sight, the druid spoke.  
'Mia. Feel like doing something stupid?'  
Mialee smiled at her.  
'After that? Definitely.'  
Both of their gazes fell on the staircase at the same time. At that moment, Mialee and Yorda were thinking the exact same thing. They were going upstairs. They gestured for Meek to follow them before climbing up to the next floor.

It was a longer staircase than Yorda had originally thought. As they walked, the pale half-elf found her gaze drawn towards a series of portraits that ascended the stairs with them. They were dusty and grey and faded, but still vaguely visible. They looked like family portraits. Yorda could see a young couple, smiling happily in front of an earlier, nicer version of the building that they were in. A large flower field enveloped the wizard's tower.

The next portrait had the same setting and people in it, but the woman was clutching what looked like a newborn baby. The man beamed with pride. Yorda looked at the display curiously.  
'Mia, why do people copy their appearance to paper?'  
'Because humans are vain,' the brown-haired elf casually answered. Then she reconsidered.  
'And because they only live for a short while, perhaps. Humans die at a fraction of the age that elves can become. Perhaps they feel like they do not have enough time. Perhaps they want to be remembered.'

* * *

 **Echo**

* * *

Meanwhile, the Tiefling had followed Alatar and Nala into a separate room on the right. Echo was in a foul mood, and did not feel like getting close to the wizard. So she remained in the doorway while Nala and Alatar explored what looked like a bedroom. A fine dresser and chair lined the southern wall, and Echo could see a few ruined nightstands and the remains of what might have been a bed at some point.

There was also a giant metal husk standing right next to the doorway. The Tiefling eyed him suspiciously, ready for anything. She did not trust that thing to remain still. She cautiously took a step backwards. From the corner of her eye, Echo could see Mialee, Yorda and Meek climb the staircase and vanish upstairs.  
'Damn it. Locked.'  
Alatar had moved over to the dresser, but the drawer wouldn't budge.  
'There might be a key around here somewhere,' Nala suggested. Alatar did not respond to that. He rummaged through the ruined nightstands. Nothing. The wizard let out a dissatisfied mumble. Then he turned back around and realized that half of their group was not there.  
'Where are the others?'  
'I saw them go upstairs,' Echo shrugged. The wizard did not seem to like that at all. His face contorted into an angry scowl and Echo could see him ball his hands into fists. Then Alatar regained control of himself and marched for the door.  
'I _just_ told them not to do anything stupid! Come on. Before they get themselves killed.'  
Said the guy who thought it was a good idea to taunt a dragon, Echo thought spitefully. That was the pot calling the kettle black. She did not voice those thoughts, however. The Tiefling quickly stepped aside to let him pass, only following after Nala had come out as well.

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

There was another portrait at the top of the stairs. The baby had grown into a toddler, pouting in his father's arms. Then the portraits disappeared as the stairs opened up into an upper hallway, leading further into the building. It was much darker here than downstairs. A thick carpet led from the stairs to a set of doors on the far end of the hallway, before vanishing around a corner. There were cobwebs everywhere.

Yorda saw more armored husks, too. One stood right beside them, shoved into a corner. This one was much, much larger than the ones downstairs. It probably towered over even Nala.  
And this one, too, has words drifting out from inside of it.  
'Can…not…'  
'D-did you hear that?!' Meek yelped from behind the two. His sword was pointed at the large husk, the tip shaking nervously. Mialee shrugged. She heard it, but the brown-haired elf could not make anything of it either.

The three of them kept going, slowly moving through the darkened hallway. Yorda could see more portraits as they walked. A slightly larger toddler, being held up by his ankles as he roared with laughter.  
'Not… can…'  
A young boy, grinning together with his dad. They looked like a happy family, Yorda thought. She once again glanced at the ruins around her. What had happened to those people? Had they left? Why was the place in ruins like this?  
'Can… this…'  
Another portrait. This one only had two people in it. Yorda saw the father and mother, standing side by side. Their bodies were slouched. Their faces contorted into masks, not even the faintest trace of a smile could be seen. And the little boy was nowhere in sight.  
Where had he gone?

The three of them spotted one more portrait, at the very end of the hallway. This one had been completely ruined. The frame had cracked and broken off and lay scattered across the dusty carpet. The painting itself was completely unrecognizable. It had been torn into little pieces, almost as if it had been clawed at. Yorda and Mialee exchanged a worried look. They stopped at the corner of the hallway, near a closed door. Mialee grabbed hold of the knob. It wasn't locked. She looked back at Yorda.  
'Should we go in?'  
The pale half-elf shrugged. Might as well. There was not much else here to see, besides one other door at the far end of the hallway. The ranger took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself. Then she pushed the door open.

Whatever they had been expecting to find… it wasn't this.

They looked into a large room, larger than the bedroom downstairs. Yorda could see numerous bookshelves, lining almost every wall of this area. Some of the planks had rotted away, making many books spill out over the floor. In the top left corner of the room stood a giant, strange-looking metal contraption that the pale half-elf did not recognize. Tubes and pipes jammed into the contraption from the ceiling, and Yorda could see sharp metal prongs attached to the back.

Opposite of the strange machine, placed against the wall, stood a giant glass cage. The thing was enormous, taking up almost a quarter of the room and going all the way up to the ceiling. The front of the glass cage was broken. Sharp glass shards pricked the soles of her feet as Yorda approached the cage, frowning. It almost looked as if it had been broken from the inside, she realized. On the edges of the glass hole, Yorda could see a dark, dried-up substance that looked suspiciously much like blood.

What had happened here?

Next to her, Meek suddenly gasped.  
'L-look!'  
He was pointing towards the other side of the room, opposite of the machine and the giant glass cage. Yorda hadn't seen it the first time around because it was pushed in between two bookcases. Lying there, its ribs cracked and broken, was a single skeleton. From the looks of it, it had been here for quite some time already. Mialee approached the skeleton cautiously, still skittish around possible undead.  
'Did he… get crushed to death?'  
From the looks of it, that was exactly what had happened. Yorda looked back at the broken cage. Her mind flashed to the portraits from before. To the child that had suddenly vanished. To the grim masks of his parents. From the depths of her stomach, a very uneasy feeling began to spread through her body.

Meanwhile, Meek had walked over to the strange device in the corner. Yorda and Mialee joined him and he looked down on the contraption with a frown on his face.  
'Do you have any idea what this is?' Mialee asked them. She didn't know. Neither did Yorda. But Meek crossed his arms, seemingly deep in thought.  
'I… I think I've read about this type of thing. Our trading post sometimes gets orders for rare and unusual arcane tomes. I- I might have taken a peek every now and then.'  
'What is it?' Mialee pressed him. Meek coughed nervously.  
'Some… some magics deal with the animating of… of inanimate objects. This looks like one of the devices that are used to aid with that. I c-can't be sure, but… that's what it looks like to me.'

Mialee and Yorda exchanged another worried look. The pale half-elf did not like the sound of that at all. Her mind flashed back to the many, many humanoid-like husks lying downstairs. The slivers of red in their backs. From below, Yorda could still hear them whispering.  
'This… can…'  
The pale half-elf suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. The walls closed in on her, making the room suddenly feel hostile. They couldn't stay here. Yorda grabbed Meek by his sleeve and began to tug him towards the exit.

Back in the hallway, the other three members of the group had caught up. Echo and Nala were gazing at the same portraits that they had seen, distracted as Alatar angrily made his way to Yorda, Mialee and Meek.  
'Did you touch anything? What was in there?'  
'Go see for yourself,' Mialee replied to him. Her eyes were already locked onto the next destination. Yorda followed her gaze to see the only other door in the hallway. This one wasn't closed. The door stood slightly ajar, as if someone had forgotten to close it after leaving. They cautiously approached it, alert for any sign of movement. But nothing came out. The room looked empty. Slowly, Mialee pushed the door out of the way.

It was a child's room, dusty and unused. Yorda could see a couple of picture books lying on a rickety bookcase. Parts of what might have been wooden toys at some point lay scattered across the floor. In the corner stood a bed. It was broken and cracked, as if a boulder had plopped down on top of it.

As Yorda surveyed the room, her eye caught something that did not match the rest of the dusty interior. Next to the bed lay a single teddy bear. It looked mottled and one of its beady eyes was missing. But there was no dust coating on it, making the bear contrast strongly with the rest of the room. That could only mean one thing. Either the stuffed animal was magical…  
Or someone had been here. Recently.  
'We're not alone,' the pale half-elf muttered as she slowly backed out of the room. Nala and Echo cast her a curious glance.  
'What do you mean?'  
She pointed at the teddy bear in response. It took them a second, but then they too realized what was wrong with it. Their expressions darkened.  
'We should leave. The last thing we want is to get jumped by something and crash down from the second floor,' the Tiefling muttered. Nala and Mialee gave her a nod. They all began to move back towards the stairs. Yorda followed after them, giving the teddy bear one last glance over her shoulder.

Something was very wrong here.

'Can… this…'


	30. Chapter 2,3 - Dario

**Chapter 2.3 – Dario**

* * *

 _The group ventured into the one room downstairs that they had not entered yet – the wizard's study, or so it seemed. It held a large carpet, a few bookcases on the far wall, a sword rack with three long blades, another giant husk in the corner and a large, wooden desk. They could see a single book on top of that desk, lying open. Echo went to grab it._

 _But as she crossed over the carpet, the object underneath her suddenly came to life! It was an enchanted carpet, hell-bent on smothering the Tiefling to death as it wrapped around Echo and cut off her air supply. At that moment, all three swords and the piece of armor came to life, as well. What was supposed to be a quick exploration turned into a long, drawn-out battle of try-not-to-get-smothered-to-death. Or stabbed._

 _Or crushed._

 _Eventually, the group won. They found an ominous-looking necromancy book within the bookcase. Echo asked if anyone wanted it – which was met with a loud growl from Yorda-bear. She then moved on to the open book on the desk…_

* * *

'Hey, guys. This looks like a diary.'  
That caught the attention of everyone else in the room. Mialee stopped kicking the now destroyed armored husk and walked over, reading over Echo's shoulder. Or below it, considering how much shorter she was.  
'Juhah Bach?'  
'Must be the person who owned this place,' Alatar thought out loud. 'What's written in there?'  
Echo frowned as she flipped through the pages.  
'It's mostly gibberish,' the Tiefling said as she read. 'Something about… experiments. Experiments with animating objects… oh, that bastard.'  
She said that as she suddenly stopped at a passage about halfway in the diary. Nala raised her eyebrows.  
'What is it?'  
'The things we almost got killed by just now – that's his handiwork. He enchanted them and left them here on purpose.'  
Mialee and Nala both seemed disturbed by that piece of information, but Alatar merely shrugged.  
'He was probably trying to protect his research. I would have done the same.'  
'Of course you would. Hold on, let me read you a passage.'

She cleared her throat, coughing a few times from the still swirling dust. Then Echo began to read.

'" _Day 627. Partial success at last. I have made significant progress after obtaining the red gemstone, as predicted by my calculations. It has proven to be viable as a conduit. Results, however, are still unsatisfactory. The shells on their own are not enough of a vessel. They are not what I want them to be. They need more. I need more. Why can't it be what I want it to be?"_ '

She flipped the book, showing the rest of the group how unsteady his handwriting had become as he wrote. The last few words were barely legible. Alatar looked at the pages with a large frown on his face.  
'That can't be good. We need to find that ruby.'

He was right. From what Yorda could glance off that page, at the very least, Juhah Bach had not been in a good state of mind. His writing looked almost… feverish. Haunted. Once again Yorda remembered the husks in the entrance hall, and the many red slivers embedded in their backs…

Wait a minute.

What?

'How did you know it was a ruby?' Echo asked from her left. Her eyes were squinted together suspiciously and her tail hung completely motionless.  
'I- what?'  
'How did you know what gemstone it was?' Echo asked him again, her voice sharp as a knife this time. 'It did not say that in the diary. Or anywhere else. How the fuck did you know that?'  
Alatar seemed stunned for a moment. Then he quickly regained himself, fixing the sleeves of his wizard robes.  
'I had prior information.'  
'Then why didn't you share that information with us?' Echo hissed. 'If you're after something, you need to let us know the fucking details.'  
'I did not think it important to share. We would have found it eventually, anyway.'  
'Is it dangerous?' Mialee asked, her voice laced with suspicion as well. 'What is it and why do you want it?'  
'It's not for me. It is a request from my master. He has commanded I fetch it for him.'

As he talked, Yorda could feel the temperature in the room drop to an icy chill. Echo glared at the wizard with suspicion written all over her face. Over time, the pale half-elf had noticed something. Whenever Echo felt a particularly negative emotion, the tip of her spiked tail began to twitch. Just a little bit. Not enough for the average person to notice. It wasn't doing that quite yet, but the Tiefling was close.  
'Your master. And what could he possibly want with a gem that is used to make inanimate objects come to life?'  
'It doesn't _make them come to life_ ,' Alatar replied in an annoyed tone. 'It just acts as a conduit. And that doesn't matter. You can trust my master. The ruby will be safe with them.'  
'Yeah, right,' Mialee snorted. She did not seem to trust this any more than Echo did. The Tiefling turned towards Nala, gesturing at Alatar as she did so.  
'Hey, Nala. Why aren't you saying anything? He's been hiding information from us. Aren't you suspicious as well?'

The Dragonborn had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout this whole exchange. In fact, she'd made it a point to look away from the group, merely glancing at the books on the shelves. When Echo called her name, the Dragonborn reluctantly turned around to face them. One look at her face was enough to make Yorda realize why she's been so quiet.  
'No way,' Echo said. 'You already knew?'  
The paladin gave a single nod.  
'We were visited by Capricornicus again when everyone else was asleep. It was weird- I still haven't really processed it. I didn't think it would be that important to tell.'  
Echo's tail twitched. That had been the exact wrong thing to say. Yorda could see it in her eyes. She abruptly turned away from the both of them. The dark-haired Tiefling began to march towards the exit, slapping Yorda-bear on the shoulder as she did so.  
'Come on. I'm done with this damn tower.'

The pale half-elf, now a massive bear from wild shaping in the earlier fight, sauntered out after her. They had looked in every room. There was only one more thing to check – the locked desk in Juhah Bach's bedroom. They had not found a key anywhere – but Echo didn't seem bothered by that, taking out her set of lockpicks as she walked.

As soon as they reached the dresser, the Tiefling squatted down in front of the lock. She had done this before. With an elegant gesture, Echo stuck the lockpicks inside. She placed her ear to the wood, listening for sounds as she slowly rotated the lockpicks in the keyhole.  
 _Crack_.  
'Fuck.'  
She had applied too much pressure on the lockpick. Echo and Yorda watched as the tiny tool broke, leaving a part stuck in the keyhole. Echo tried to fish the piece out, but without success.  
'Damn it. That was my last lockpick, too.'  
The Tiefling looked over to Yorda, who was still in bear-form.  
'Your turn.'

She stepped aside to make room. The pale half-elf understood her intent. She sauntered up to the dresser and stood up on her hind legs before tearing into the wood with a loud snarl.  
 _CRACK!  
_ The wood easily gave way, cracking and breaking under her massive claws. She tore the dresser in half. There wasn't much visible in the rubble – a few copper pieces and some paper. And a book. Echo grabbed it, holding it against the light suspiciously.  
'Juhah Bach.'

Another diary. This one looked both newer than the other notebook, and in a much, much worse state. Not because of the bear claws (although those had done quite some damage, as well) but because of various nasty-looking stains spread all over it. Mialee, Nala and Alatar approached the Tiefling as she, again, began to read out loud. As she made her way through the entry, her expression slowly darkened into an ominous frown.

'" _Day 754. Nothing works. Nothing. My wife left me, saying she can't bear this for a day longer. Was that yesterday, or a month ago? I don't know. I don't care. Nothing works. But it has to work. I have nothing left – it has to work. But it doesn't._

 _It never works._

 _But the gem is still there. The conduit is still there. I can still use it. I have to use it._

 _But it never works._

 _It is not the gem that is lacking. Not the conduit. It is the vessel that is not enough. It needs to be more. I need it to be more. I need it to be animate._

 _I need it to be alive._

 _I need it to be him._

 _I need to do the unthinkable._

 _Why_

 _does_

 _it_

 _never_

 _work "_ '

Echo stopped reading at that point. She flipped the book around, showing how the writing turned to complete gibberish. No longer the writings of a sane person.  
'Can… this…'  
But Yorda didn't need the writings. She had already connected the dots. A terrible, terrible cold spread from her chest to the rest of her body as the pale half-elf realized what Juhah Bach had done. Who the skeleton in the corner of the room was, and what had killed him after breaking out of the glass cage. Where the red gemstone was.  
And who had been visiting the child's room.  
Yorda dropped bear form just as Mialee walked out of the wizard's sleeping quarters. Her face was contorted into a mask of horrid disgust. Yorda quickly followed her out, not wanting to leave anyone alone in here. The two of them exited into the entrance hall.

And met the stares of two dozen necromantic husks staring right at them. Both Mialee and Yorda froze. The red glow behind their eyes had brightened dramatically, dying the entire ground a bright crimson. The two watched as, in the middle of the room, one of the dark metal husks began to stir.  
'Can… not…'  
Mialee and Yorda watched its arms push off from the ground as it rose up to face them. Its legs groaned under its own weight. The husk clumsily sidestepped the others and began to make its way towards them, moving like a puppet whose strings had recently been cut. Crimson light pierced Yorda and Mialee's gaze. One of the stubby arms reached for them.  
'This… cannot… continue…'  
Yorda finally realized. The voice was mechanical, but soft, almost…

Almost child-like.

'Where is he?'  
The husk stirred. Slowly, it moved its arm to point towards the front door. Its gaze returned to Yorda and Mialee. With the same hollow child voice, it muttered the same line again.  
'This… cannot… continue…'

The husk next to it began to chant the same thing. And the one next to it. And the one next to it. Yorda watched as the entirety of the entrance hall began to chant those same three words over and over again. By now, the others had exited the bedroom, as well. Nala, Meek and Alatar all reached for their weapons at once. Even the giant armor suit in the other room was chanting. But nothing attacked. They watched as that first husk slowly turned around on its stubby, rickety legs, moving towards the front door of the building. Yorda could not keep her eyes off of it. Her throat was squeezed shut with emotion, gaze locked on its back as she followed its unsteady footsteps.  
Even the way it moved was child-like.  
'This… cannot… continue… this…'  
The chanting became louder and louder, their crimson glow overtaking the walls and even the ceiling of the entrance hall. The rest of the party hurried out as well. They followed the little husk, who had turned and was walking around the corner of the ruined building.

As soon as the last person stepped out, the chanting stopped.  
'I don't like this,' Mialee muttered to Nala, her weapons still drawn. 'I don't like this at all.'  
She seemed to be trying her best to stay in the shadows. The rest of the group was on their guard, too. Yorda's gaze was still locked on the husks's back, and the sliver of red that lay embedded in its back. It led them around the corner of the building. The thicket around there was so overgrown that they almost had to push their way through.

Eventually, they made their way into what looked like the backyard. The remains of a path were barely visible anymore. The grass and flowerbeds were completely covered in thick roots and overgrown weeds, ivy overtaking the back wall. At the very end of that yard stood a single gravestone. Yorda was too far away to make out what it said.

She was not too far away to see the figure kneeled beside it. A dark, bulky shape sprouted up underneath legs that, even in a kneeling position, were placed at too strange an angle to be human. It wasn't moving.

The possessed husk slowly raised its arm. Pointed at the figure in front of it. Then the glow from inside of it disappeared and it collapsed. Its body parts scattered across the ground, no longer being held together by whatever had been in there.  
'You've got to be fucking kidding me.'

Yorda looked back up, towards the figure at the end of the abandoned garden. It was hunched over, but she could see its shoulder shake. Her legs started moving on their own. The pale half-elf slowly approached the creature, walking right up to where he was. Her eyes trailed down to the inscription on the gravestone.

 _Dario Bach. My beloved son.  
_ The earth in front of the grave was dug open, leaving a gaping hole in the earth. There was no trace of a body anywhere.

This cannot continue.

Yorda's gaze slowly traveled over to the figure next to her. A hulking monstrosity met her gaze. One of its legs shook as it stood, the skin a sickly greenish blue colour. The other one seemed to be almost too small to carry its own weight. Yorda saw different pieces of skin, cut up and sewn together to form some sort of semblance to a human body. Its arms were twice as big as normal, with nasty-looking claws at the fingertips. Embedded deep into its back was a large, red gemstone, pulsing with energy. It seemed almost merged with the skin around it. Yorda's let her gaze travel up to its face.

She almost wished she hadn't. Even its head was made up out of multiple creatures. Most of it was a horrible, blackened mess of distorted skin. a blind, bulging white eye at the center of it.  
The other part was the face of a child.  
And that part was crying.

'Are you Dario?'  
A large tear dripped down the side of his face as he nodded to her. He seemed barely able to control the rest of his body. His entire torso was shaking. As Yorda took a step towards him, his arms started to claw at the ground. They drew deep, deep gashes into the dirt. His eye seemed to be pleading with her to leave. It was a beautiful azure color.  
'I am so sorry this happened to you.'

The creature attacked.

' _Get back!'  
_ Yorda felt a large, scaled hand clasp down on her shoulder and yank her back. She was pulled behind Nala's shield just as the massive claw swung in. It raked over the metal surface, missing Yorda only by an inch. The Dragonborn roughly pushed Yorda behind her.  
'Everyone! Be careful!'  
As she said that, the creature suddenly bolted right towards her, slamming the Dragonborn in the head with his bulging shoulder. Nala was knocked off her feet like you would topple a wooden block. She landed painfully on the ground. The Dragonborn growled. She hoisted herself back up by her shield.  
'We don't want to hurt you.'

It was of no use. Whatever consciousness had been there before was long gone. The monster pounced again, his eyes shining crimson with rage. That was not Dario anymore. Nala took the brunt of its attacks, shielding the rest of the group from its brutal claws as Mialee and Alatar ran around the monster. They positioned themselves directly behind it. The ranger and the druid made eye contact.  
'Mialee. Aim for that _fucking_ gem on its back.'  
She did. As the creature tore into Nala's shield with its massive claws, the brown-haired elf carefully took aim. The arrow soared through the air silently. It found its mark. As the point embedded itself into the gem, part of it cracked and shattered. Yorda could see little fragments falling to the ground.

The monster in front of them suddenly stopped moving. It stood hunched over Nala, inches away from ripping her chest open. The red glow in its eyes dimmed. Yorda could see a faint hint of azure. His gaze met that of Nala, another tear dripping down his face.  
'End it… Please…'  
The paladin returned his gaze, a desperate look in her eyes. She seemed momentarily frozen in place.

But Alatar was not. He mumbled under his breath, making a now familiar gesture with his fingers. Yorda watched as four flashes of arcane energy swirled out from under his sleeves and rammed into the creature in front of them. They pierced the giant gemstone. Once, twice, three, four times.

That was more than the thing could handle. The gem shattered. A few dozen red shards fell to the ground, before cracking further and crumbling to dust. The red glow vanished. The magic had been broken. In that moment, Dario's eye trailed back to Nala, who stood directly in front his hulking form. He gave her a tiny smile. Then his eye lost its focus, and he fell to the ground.

He did not get up again.

Dario's spirit was free.

A heavy silence filled the air as the group took in what had just happened. None of them had expected their detour to Neverwinter to turn out like this. Yorda looked at Nala worriedly. The Dragonborn was pale, even with her golden scales. She watched as the paladin slowly made her way over to Alatar.  
'…Thank you.'  
The wizard had been scanning the ground, cleaning his wand as he did so. He looked up at Nala with a curious frown.  
'For what?'  
'For not hesitating.'  
The wizard just shrugged, breaking eye contact with her.  
'Yeah, well. It was broken already anyway. Might as well.'  
She gave him a small smile. Her gaze traveled back to Dario's tormented form.  
'We should bury him.'

They did, using a few rusty shovels that they found in something that had once been a gardening shack. It was a long process. But nobody complained. After about an hour of digging, Dario was laid to rest. The paladin oversaw the burial rites herself. As the others coated his body with earth, Nala reached for her holy symbol and began to pray, her head bowed in silence.

She stayed that way for about five minutes. Then her knees gave way underneath her. She collapsed on the ground, staring at Dario's grave with an exhausted expression. More than anyone else, his fate had affected her deeply. It seemed to have pushed the paladin to her limits.

Yorda went into the wizard's tower one last time as the rest of the group rested. She had half a mind to burn the entire place to the ground. Instead the pale half-elf made her way into Dario's room. She grabbed the teddy bear, the only thing that had been visited by him every day. Yorda scooped it into her arms and carried it downstairs, headed back to the garden. There, she placed it by his grave. Nala gave her a slight nod.

The pale half-elf placed her hand on Nala's shoulder. She didn't say anything. She didn't have to. After a while, the paladin began to speak herself.  
'That was too much.'  
'I know.'  
'He… smiled at me. Begged me to end it. And smiled at me when we cut him down.'  
Yorda looked down on the teddybear, rested against its owner's gravestone. It was a sad, lonely sight.

'That _is_ too much.'

* * *

 _Our DM really surprised us with this one. A few of the players, myself included, get really caught up in the story, and our DM orchestrated the session so well that, by the end, we were almost in tears._

 _As always, feedback and comments are appreciated. I love hearing from my readers. =)_


	31. Chapter 3,1 - Back into the Woods

**Chapter 3: Family**

* * *

 **3.1 - Back into the Woods**

* * *

It took the group a long while to regain themselves after the wizard`s tower. Especially Nala was having a rough time in her mind with what happened. The Dragonborn paladin stayed at Dario's grave for the better part of an hour. They didn't know if she was in prayer, or in despair. Maybe it was a little bit of both. They let her be, allowing her to be alone with her thoughts.

Eventually, Mialee approached Yorda, who had been keeping an eye on the woods around them.  
'I want to keep searching.'  
Yorda gave her a single nod. They'd already come this far. In half a day or so, they'd be out of the woods and back in Neverwinter. They might as well keep searching for tracks while they were at it.

Echo did not seem to share those sentiments, however. The dark-haired Tiefling raised a single eyebrow as she watched Mialee start scanning the ground around her.  
'We're back to randomly tracking again? Did we not find enough trouble already?'  
Mialee shot Echo a slightly apologetic look.  
'Finding a wizard's tower wasn't what I had in mind, either.'  
'I don't understand. Four days ago we were wasting time nailing people's underwear to the tavern ceiling. You didn't seem so concerned about tracks then. Why are you in such a hurry now?'

The brown-haired elf hesitated, her golden head ornament gleaming in the afternoon light. Then she got up from the ground and faced Echo.  
'I know that some of my people are still out there. Alive. I know that for sure now. I don't know how safe they are, or what kind of trouble they're in, or even if they're close to these parts at all. But I have a hope that they are in this forest. A hunch. It's an elf thing. I can't explain it.'  
Echo raised a single eyebrow again, but chose not to comment. The brown-haired elf looked at the ground again, glancing around for tracks. She found none. Her expression fell.  
'I haven't had hope for such a long time. I don't want to lose it now. I don't want to find out in 50 years that my clan had been traveling in the same parts as me and I never even noticed it. I don't want to find out that... that I could have saved someone if I'd only stopped to look.'  
The fear in her eyes was genuine, and Mialee's tone of voice made Echo give her a look of sympathy. The Tiefling gave her a single pat on the shoulder.  
'All right. That's a good reason. I understand.'  
She turned away from the elf, before seemingly changing her mind and making eye contact with her again.  
'I'm terrible at tracking, but I'll try to help if I can.'  
A surprised smile spread across Mialee's lips.  
'Thanks, Echo. I appreciate that. Really.'

* * *

The group moved back into Neverwinter Woods not long after that. With the help of Yorda's beast forms, Mialee managed to catch the vaguest of outlines of a set of tracks that made her heart start pounding in her chest. No orcs this time. No, this was what she'd been looking for. This was what she wanted to find.

These were Wood-elf tracks.

She knew because Mialee was a Wood-elf herself. Light on their feet and experts at moving through the forest, most of her kind barely left the faintest of traces. Other races could not replicate these tracks. No, they had to be genuine. The brown-haired elf began to follow the tracks, her blood racing in her body. The rest of the group followed at a short distance, not wanting to disturb her.

It did not take them long to find the track's owner.

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

The Dragonborn was trying her best to keep up with Mialee, her metal armour clanking loudly as she made her way through the thicket. Nala kept getting snagged on branches. And roots. And twigs. None of the others had such trouble making their way through the woods. Just her. It made the paladin feel uncomfortable for some reason. It was almost as if the plants were trying to get in her way on purpose. In fact, ever since the events at Thundertree, Nala had felt as if the forest was... different. Less hospitable. She had no idea why. Specializing in light and nature, it made her feel uneasy.

The gold-scaled Dragonborn was rudely yanked out of her thoughts by a sudden series of sounds. It sounded like the scraping of bark, combined with a low, guttural growling and something dragging itself over the ground.  
'YAAAGH!'  
And screaming. Yeah, that, too. Nala watched as both Mialee and Yorda stormed off, shooting into the surrounding thicket like two arrows shot from a bow. Echo, Alatar and Meek followed suit, albeit a bit slower. From behind the bushes, Nala could hear cursing, followed by Yorda yelling something in a language that Nala could not understand. The Dragonborn quickly reached for the weapon on her back – a large, magical axe found in the dragon treasure hoard that she'd dubbed Hew - and stormed after them.

She came face-to-face with another impossible scene. They were just coming one after the other these days. In front of her was giant pile of rotting plant matter. A giant, moving pile of rotting plant matter. Nala could see broken vines, twigs, spriggs, muddy leaves and all sorts of other plant-like waste, all bundled up into a pile as thick as an enormous tree-trunk. But that was no tree. The Dragonborn almost vomited at the horrible stench wafting off the monster. It had its back to her, so she couldn't see its face – but she did hear the boatload of Elvish curses that were flung at it from the ground.  
'Hold on!' Mialee yelled. 'We'll get you out of there!'  
She shot at the thing. Her arrow bounced off what looked like a muddy, mushroom-filled arm, lifted to block the incoming projectile. Another arrow missed its head and disappeared into the surrounding thicket.  
'You're terrible at aiming, elf!' Alatar yelled. He fired off a Ray of Frost at the shambling heap of rotting plant matter – but his spell went wide, too. From the base of the monster, Nala could hear an unknown voice cry out:  
'So are you!'

The Dragonborn ran around the shambling mound, axe at the ready. The front was an even more horrible sight than the back. Rotten pieces of bark had twisted and molded together into what looked like a set of teeth straight out of a nightmare. Bulging arms filled with nasty-looking mushrooms clawed at everything around it. The thing was truly disgusting – and currently in the process of trying to devour a tiny shape underneath it. Nala could just barely make out two arms, flailing to get out from underneath the monstrosity.

The Dragonborn acted without thinking. She raised her axe high and, with a loud roar, slammed it into the Shambling Mound's side. The axe ripped through the vines and muck like a knife through warm butter. The effect was instant. With a horrible shriek, the Shambling Mound jerked to the side, away from the now faintly glowing weapon. It retreated off a mangled, female elf, with blonde hair and a very pissed-off look in her eyes. Nala didn't have time to help her up. The monster swiped at her with its arm, the claws dripping with foul liquid. Only her heavy armour kept the Dragonborn from being knocked over.

Turns out that the elf didn't need help. She scrambled away from the rotting monster, grabbed a familiar-looking bow and took aim, yelling:  
'You'll pay for this!'  
With a truly murderous expression, the elf woman let her arrow fly. And missed spectacularly. The arrow didn't even come close. The resemblance was uncanny.

A little too uncanny, Nala realized. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the woman. Small stature, slightly tanned skin. A bow that was almost identical to the one that Mialee had, except for the runes and decorations. The same murderous expression in the face of the enemy.  
No way. It couldn't be.

Nala swung Hew at the Shambling Mound again, nailing it square in the jaw this time. Or at least, where a jaw would have been if it was a humanoid. Now it was just more rotting plant matter. But the monster let out another shriek, visibly recoiling from the axe. It was almost as if it was afraid of it.

Nala didn't stop to think about it. She swung the axe a third time. And a fourth. And a fifth. The monstrosity shrieked in agony as it tried to get away from her. But it had nowhere to run. Before too long, the giant moving pile in front of her had been reduced to nothing but snapped vines, rotting mushrooms and general stink, slowly spreading out over the floor. It was still moving, so Nala kept hacking away at it.

Eventually, Yorda poked her in the side.  
'I think you got it.'  
The Dragonborn stepped back, breathing hard. Yorda was right. She probably did. Nala was covered in twigs and grime. The entire front of her armor had changed into a greenish carpet of ick. It smelled disgusting. As she cleaned herself up, the paladin turned to look at the elf that they'd saved.

By now, she had stood back up. She was almost exactly the same height as Mialee. Her blonde hair was riddled with twigs and pieces of rotting plant matter. Two deep blue eyes squinted at the group suspiciously, before landing on Mialee. The next second, those eyes turned as round as gold coins. The newcomer stared at the green-eyed elf, completely frozen in place. Mialee stood frozen, too. She had an expression on her face as if she'd just seen someone return from the dead.

Which was exactly what had happened.  
'Mialee?'  
 _'Estana?!_ '' the brown-haired elf yelled. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then the shock passed and the two of them ran towards each other, catching the other in a big hug. Their bows and swords clattered to the floor.  
'I thought you were dead!'  
'We thought _you_ were dead! Where have you been?! Is it really you? You have no idea how happy I am to see you! We thought you died!'  
As Estana rambled on, Mialee slowly pulled herself out of the embrace. Her mind slowly seemed to process the new information as she looked at her long-lost clan member.  
'Wait, "we"? There's still more of us?'  
Estana nodded furiously.  
'I am so sorry, Mialee. If any of us had known that you were still alive, we never would have- we never would have left without you.'

By now, the others had slowly walked over to where they were. Yorda peeked out from behind Nala's back, looking at Esta with a mix between curiosity and caution.  
'Mia? Who is this?'  
Only now did Mialee seem to remember that there were other people there besides her and Estana. She quickly put her arm out and led Estana towards the group.  
'Everyone, this is Estana. My old mentor.'  
Nala, Yorda and Echo gave a polite nod, the Tiefling flashing Mialee a smile as she did so.  
'Looks like you really were right about your hunches.'  
Mialee nodded, a look of relief on her face. She knew what the Tiefling meant. Another few minutes, and Estana would have been eaten.

By insisting on one last trek through the woods, Mialee had saved her life.

The ranger's old mentor looked the rest of the group over with clear hostility. When she spoke, it was in Elven, not in Common.  
'Who are these people? Are they trustworthy?'  
'Are you?' Alatar replied, also in Elven. The question seemed to offend him. Then again, they _had_ just saved her life. Doubting them after the fact was a little rude.  
Her and Mialee were becoming more and more alike with every passing second.  
'My apologies,' Estana finally said in Common. 'It has been a rough time for my clan. We do not know who we can trust.'  
'You can trust us,' Nala said in response. 'We mean you no harm. I promise.'

Estana shot a sideways glance at Mialee, who nodded to her. That seemed to do the trick. The copper-skinned elf relaxed. She picked up her bow and swung it back over her shoulder. Nala could see a lot of scrapes and cuts all over her body, as if she had been on the move for a long time. Which she probably had been.  
'When our clan was attacked all those years ago, we decided to escape with what little numbers we still had rather than fight our way out. I don't know if it was the right decision. We moved from place to place for a long time, trying to recover from our losses and build our village anew. But orcs hunt us wherever we go. We're forced to keep moving, or have a repeat of the tragedy from all those years ago.'

Mialee balled her hands into fists as Estana talked. Once again, the brown-haired elf looked like she wanted to punch something. Nala had half a mind to tell her to calm down... but most of this story was new to her, and the Dragonborn wanted to know more.  
'So this is why you hate orcs so much? How many more of you are there?'  
'Not nearly as much as there once were, or there would be if we weren't constantly hunted. Beiro is leading a resistance against the orc threat. Me and two others were sent to scout out these forests. We found a set of orc tracks. We followed it into an ambush. The others did not make it. I'm the only one left. If not for you, Mialee, I would have fallen, too. Thank you so much.'

She stepped towards her mentee, once again catching her in a hug. The two of them stayed that way for a long time. There were a lot of unspoken feelings in that one hug. It was a bit embarrassing, actually, and Nala looked away to give them some privacy. With a sigh, she sat down on the nearest large tree root. Her armour was still smeared with green ick. So were her boots. And her axe. And her hands.

Yuck.

After a few more minutes, the two elves turned back to the group. Estana once again let her eyes slowly travel over everyone there. This time, though, it was not with suspicion.  
'I have a favor to ask of you.'  
Her voice had dropped the warm tone in which she'd spoken to Mialee just moments before. Her guard was back up.  
'My people perished while on the trail of a group of orcs. I cannot take them on alone. But if I give up here, then their deaths will have been in vain. Your coming here must have been fate. Will you help me finish what they started?'  
Mialee nodded once, placing a hand on Estana's shoulder.  
'Of course I'll help. You don't need to ask.'  
She gave the brown-haired elf a grateful smile. Mialee returned her expression. Then she turned to the rest of the group, her previous confidence faltering a little.  
'You don't have to join me for this if you don't want to. Neverwinter should not be that far from here. You should be able to reach it in a day or two. But I'm going. If you don't want to come with me, I won't hold it against you.'

The brown-haired elf sounded like she was fine with either option, but by now, the group knew her better than that. Nala frowned before breaking out into a grin and patting her elf companion on the shoulder.  
'What are you talking about? We've been hacking away at orc thugs for weeks now. A few more is no trouble at all.'  
Alatar and Echo shrugged, agreeing as well.  
'We made it this far. Might as well.'  
The Dragonborn gave her an encouraging nod.  
'Justice will be done, Mialee. You can count on us.'

The green-eyed elf smiled at her gratefully. At moments like this, it showed how cautious Mialee still was. Even with everything that they'd been through together already, she still had her doubts that they'd leave her.

Well they would – that was the plan after going back to Neverwinter, eventually – but not here, in the middle of the woods. Not if Nala had anything to say about it. They could say their goodbyes in Neverwinter, over another large cask of ale. If there was one more Orc-shaped obstacle to defeat before they could get to that point, then so be it.

'You've been very quiet. Are you with me?'  
The question was aimed at Yorda, who'd been keeping herself on the sidelines of the conversation. The pale half-elf glanced at Estana with that piercing gaze of hers, then looked back at Mialee. Then looked at Estana again.  
'You want to do... what?'  
Had she not been paying attention, or something? Nala watched as a small frown appeared on Mialee's face.  
'We're going after those Orcs and taking revenge for Estana's fallen comrades. My fallen clanmembers.'  
'And they fell... to the Orcs?' Yorda asked, her head tilted to the right. Estana nodded.  
'We were just supposed to scout and follow their trail. But we were careless, and my friends fell one by one. I will see them avenged.'

Yorda had that look on her face – that look that she always had when something didn't't make sense to her. The pale half-elf bit her lower lip as she once again glanced at Estana.  
'Why are they here? Can we ask them first?'  
'You can't reason with Orcs, Yorda,' Mialee said, in an annoyed tone. 'I've told you this before.'  
Yorda's expression fell. The two looked at each other for a while. Some kind of silent emotion was exchanged between the two of them in that silent stare, but Nala couldn't figure out what it was. It didn't feel good, though.

Then Yorda broke eye contact.  
'I'll help you.'  
'Thank you,' Mialee nodded, maybe a little more stiff than normal. The pale half-elf shook her head.  
'But we should scout out their location first. See how many there are. Then make a plan.'  
That was a good idea. If all of Estana's companions had fallen to those Orcs so easily, then that had to mean that they were no pushovers. Nala nodded to herself. Scouting out enemy numbers was a good start.

* * *

Before too long, the group had come to a decision. Mialee, Estana and Yorda were to break off from the group and scout out the enemy location. They'd take a look at the enemy and their numbers, after which the group could formulate a strategy. That was what was supposed to happen.

Of course, that's not what happened.

Nala, Echo, Alatar and Telyn were hidden from sight, stationed in a small clearing that was surrounded by bushes. Mialee and Estana had put them there. It was a good hiding place.

Or so they thought, until a loud rustling of bushes told them otherwise. Nala and Alatar immediately sprang to their feet, drawing their weapons as they turned towards the noise. But it was just Estana. The blonde-haired elf looked a little out of breath. She broke through the bushes, glancing around at the people gathered in front of her. A frown appeared on her face.  
'Where is Mialee? Is she not back yet?'  
'You're the first,' Echo replied to her. Then her expression turned suspicious.  
'Why are you out of breath? What happened?'  
'Trap. Mialee accidentally set it off and alerted the orcs to our presence. We split up to make sure they didn't follow us back here.'

That was bad news. And only Estana making it back after splitting up was even worse news. They could feel a sense of dread start to creep up on them as Nala asked the next question.  
'Then… where are they?'  
Her worries were put at ease when the group heard a soft cawing in the trees above them. They looked up. A white, faintly glowing owl slowly coasted towards the ground. As it hit the grass, its form shifted and turned back into Yorda.  
'Where's Mialee?' Estana asked, a little harsher than what she had probably intended. Yorda just shrugged.  
'She took the long route back. The orcs were too close on her trail. They've started fanning out, searching the forest.'  
Alatar's expression darkened. He lowered his arms.  
'It's just a matter of time before they find us, then. Well, there goes the element of surprise.'

Mialee returned to the group not long after that. She was panting, and it immediately became clear that she had made quite the detour to get here. Little twigs and leaves were stuck in her dark brown hair.  
'I might have-'  
'Set off a trap, yes,' Echo interrupted her. 'We know. And they know that we know.'  
'We can still take them. There's not all that many of them. We're strong enough to take them on.'  
Alatar shook his head.  
'Mialee, they're aware of us now. If we're not already being ambushed right now, we'll definitely walk into one if we just charge them now. We should retreat.'  
'I'm not going anywhere,' the brown-haired elf protested. 'They killed more of my clan members. They're _right there_. They die today.'  
'Well said,' Estana nodded at her, a determined look on her face as well. Then she turned back towards Alatar.  
'You can wait here if you're scared of an ambush. Mialee and I will lure them to you.'  
'What if you get caught?' Nala asked. A smile broke through on both of their faces as they gave each other a glance.  
'We won't. The woods are our domain, after all.'

And with that, the two elves vanished into the surrounding thicket. Alatar let out a sigh. He took out his magic wand, preparing a spell under his breath as he looked at the rest of the group.  
'Just so you all know, this is a terrible-'  
'INTRUDERRRRRS!'

It hadn't even been half a minute yet. The growling orc voice cut through the silent woods like a sharp knife, making everyone jump in surprise. Nobody had realized just how close they'd gotten already. As Nala reached for her sword with an angry grumble, two green figures appeared behind the thicket nearest to Yorda. Both of them wielded filthy, rusty swords. The orcs were almost twice her size. She didn't seem intimidated by that.

Yorda calmly turned around, looked the nearest one in the eyes and placed a finger on her lips.  
'Shhh.'  
It was such a weird gesture that they actually lowered their swords a little. The biggest one of the two tilted his head as he tried to make sense of the situation.  
'Wha-?'  
It was the last thing he said. An Eldritch Blast hit him in the face, burning a perfect hole through his forehead. An instant kill. His companion didn't last long, either. Alatar hit him with what looked like a bolt of lightning, hurling him towards the nearest tree. His skull made contact with the wood with a loud _crack_. The orc slumped down on the ground, unmoving.  
'For fuck's sake- fine!' Alatar yelled. 'Let's go get them all, damn it!'

The group quickly reunited with Mialee and Estana, who hadn't made it as far as twenty feet from them yet. They'd been attacked by orcs, as well. The battle had ended with four bloody swords and two dead bodies on the ground – and neither of them were elven. Estana was in the middle of patting Mialee on the back when the rest broke out of the thicket.  
'It feels good to fight alongside you again, Mialee.'  
The brown-haired elf gave her a big smile.  
'The honor is all mine.'

With Mialee and Estana in the lead, the group quickly made their way towards the location of the orc camp. Any element of surprise had long since been lost. The orcs knew that they were coming. They knew that there were multiple opponents. They were prepared for a fight.

There were only four of them left. Three smaller ones, and a bulky, muscular guy in heavy armor that seemed to be the leader of the group. They all looked like they'd been on the road for quite a while; their clothes were dirty and ragged, and their weapons could do with some cleaning.

They were also crouched behind two fallen tree trunks, ready to shoot at anything that moved with two nasty-looking crossbows. The orc leader had his arm slightly raised. It looked like he was waiting to give some kind of order.

He never got the chance to do it. Two well-placed arrows, and a Ray of Frost slammed straight into his chest and knocked him backwards, hurling him on the ground. At the same moment, Mialee shot forth from the surrounding thicket. She raced over to the nearest orc faster than they could follow her with their crossbows, and started stabbing. Nala and Estana were not far behind. It was a reckless assault, and one that could have cost them all their lives.

But the fact that it was reckless actually ended up working in their favour. The orcs had expected caution, and this completely caught them off guard. Echo, Meek and Yorda watched as the left tree trunk was completely overrun in seconds. It did not take long for a green body to hit the ground.  
'Shall we?' The Tiefling asked, elegantly gesturing towards the other two orcs. Yorda nodded, stepping out into the sunlight as well. Her pale form caught their attention right away. They turned towards her, momentarily distracted from the elf-wrath that was being unleashed on their teammate. Yorda waved at them, adressing the orc with the crossbow.  
'Stand down, please.'  
He blinked, aimed, and fired.  
Missed.  
And was spectacularly hit in the head with an Eldritch Blast, burning a hole through the side. The orc fell over, dropping the crossbow on the ground. Echo smiled at Yorda, who looked slightly disappointed.  
'They never listen.'  
'Nope.'

It proved to be an easier fight than any of them had imagined. Mialee and Estana effortlessly jumped from one tree trunk to the other, going after the third orc. He did not stand a chance against the two of them combined. Just as he fell to their blades, the orc chief stood back up. The force from the first attack had left dents in his armour, but nothing worse than that. He was still alive.

The orc chief took one look at the battlefield, realized that all of his underlings were dead, and ran.

Right into the arms of Nala. The Paladin had been ready for him. She thrust her sword forth, pierced his armor and buried the blade deep between his ribs. It was a fatal, incredibly painful blow. The orc chief collapsed. He would have taken her sword down with him, if Nala hadn't pulled it out at the last second. The ground underneath their feet was quickly stained a dark red.

He was on death's door... and laughing.

It was such a baffling reaction that Nala drew closer to the orc, lifting him by his heavy armor to look him in the eyes. A think trickle of blood ran down the side of his face. But the orc laughed at her, chuckling even as he began to cough up blood. When he spoke, his words made an icy fist of dread clasp around Nala's heart.

'You have no idea what you're up against... the High Ruler of the North... will kill you... all...'


	32. Chapter 3,2 - The Plot Thickens

**3.2 - the plot thickens**

* * *

'You have no idea who you're up against... the High Ruler of the North... will kill you... all...'  
A thin trickle of blood ran down the side of the orc's mouth as he gurgled those last words. He had to be in pain. He didn't show it. A wicked smile was on his face as he looked up at the Dragonborn, chuckling at the expression of utter horror. That was only natural – out of everyone there, only Nala understood the full extent of what those words meant.  
She grabbed onto his armor, about to force some answers out of the orc chief. But it was already too late. His head had slumped backwards. The light had left his eyes, now staring glassily at Nala. He was already dead.

Mialee, Estana and Alatar immediately started looting the corpses of the orcs for anything useful. Alatar because he was genuinely looking for things, but it seemed like Mialee and Estana were doing it more in order to humiliate their bodies even further. Eventually, they were satisfied. Estana kicked the orc chief with a wrathful look on her face.  
'This is for my family, you beasts. May you never find peace in the woods again.'  
Mialee turned towards her with a slightly apologetic look on her face.  
'I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner, Esta. Maybe if we had been faster, you wouldn't be the only one left now.'  
The blonde-haired elf shook her head at Mialee, taking hold of her long-lost clanmate's hands.  
'It's no good to think like that, Mialee. You're here now. And I'm overjoyed to have found you again. As I'm sure everyone will be. Tales of your miraculous return will be sung for years, I'm sure of it.'  
The two of them took some distance from the rest of the group, quietly talking amongst themselves in another heartfelt moment. They really did have a lot to talk about.

Meanwhile, Echo and Yorda had slowly approached Nala. The Dragonborn was still bent over the corpse of the orc chief, seemingly deep in thought. A little too deep, actually. The paladin had not moved at all. Yorda walked around her until she could see her face.  
'Nala?'  
She didn't reply. The Dragonborn had a weird, tense expression on her face. She stared at the dead orc in front of her. Unresponsive. Yorda opened her mouth to call out to her again. As soon as she did, Nala let out a huff and walked away in silence. Echo and Yorda were left looking at each other in silent confusion. Then Echo shrugged, and the two of them glanced down at the dead orc.  
'I wonder why they were here.'  
Echo frowned, her expression darkening as she did so.  
'I've been wondering that, myself. We've followed their trail for over a day now. What could they be after that's all the way out in the deepest part of the woods?'

Their conversation caught the attention of Mialee and Estana. The blonde-haired elf let out a dissatisfied huff.  
'They're killing the soul trees.'  
Mialee turned towards them with an alarmed expression on her face. Her skin had actually gotten a little paler than normal, just from that one sentence. She seemed truly shocked.  
'What?! How do they know? How many?!'  
'Enough to have to travel to remote locations like this in order to find more,' Estana answered ominously. The rest of the group was looking at them with puzzled expressions on their faces.  
'What the hell is a soul tree?' Echo asked, frowning. Mialee answered her question in an unusually serious tone.  
'Soul trees are special, revered trees that house the souls of our elven ancestors. They are our most sacred link to the elves who came before us.'  
'Usually, young elves seek to gain the favor of their clan's soul trees when they reach a certain age,' Estana explained. 'It is an honour among all elves to be favoured by the tree. Those who gain its approval are gifted with one of their branches, and make it into a special weapon.'

She held out her bow for everyone to see. It was a very beautiful, ornate piece of work, with intricate runes and little leaves carved into the wood.  
'You were chosen by a soul tree, then?' Alatar thought out loud. The blonde-haired elf nodded.  
'I was. And so was Mialee.'  
Their companion nodded, holding her own bow out as well. It looked similar to Estana's, but a little newer and with different markings. Mialee had always been very protective of the weapon, to the point of panicking when the bowstring snapped. Now they understood why.

'Wait, wait,' Alatar mingled into the conversation. 'Those are special weapons, yeah? And you can only get them with the tree's permission? Then the orcs can't do anything in the first place, can they?'  
Estana shook her head.  
'Unfortunately there is a second way of obtaining parts of the tree. You can harvest them by force. Break them off. But that severs the connection to the ancestors, and kills the tree. The thought alone is repulsive to most elves.'  
'Those vile beasts,' Mialee growled. 'I'm going to kill every single one of them.'  
'I'd like nothing more,' Estana smiled. Then her expression turned serious. The blue-eyed elf stood up a little straighter, looking at Mialee with a determined gleam in her eyes.  
'Come back with me. Our family is still alive. We will welcome you like the long-lost sister you are.'

Mialee looked truly torn. Everyone could see the look on her face. It wasn't hard to guess her emotions. She wanted to go in the worst way. But the elven ranger slowly broke eye contact with Estana, once again looking down on the orc corpses. Her expression darkened.  
'I... I can't.'  
'Why not?'  
'Because Yorda is right. We still don't know why they are doing this.'  
Mialee sighed. She placed a single hand on Estana's shoulder.  
'I want to go home. I really do. But I don't want to have to run from orcs for the rest of our lives. We deserve better than that. We deserve to know why they are hunting us down, Estana. And we deserve to make them pay for it.'

She kept eye contact with Estana for a while, standing tall, his chin raised in elvish pride. It was an expression of pure, determined stubbornness. Estana seemed to be intimately familiar with it. Her mentor's expression softened. A tiny smile spread across her lips.  
'You are the spitting image of your parents, Mia. They would be proud of you.'  
Mialee just gave a silent nod. It seemed to be the most that she was capable of at the moment. The two shared another hug. When Estana pulled back, she left both hands on her mentee's shoulders.  
'Don't stay away for too long. You can find us in the Redmeadow, to the south. Follow our tracks like you followed mine. We'll be waiting for your return, sister.'

That last word was said in Elven, not in Common. It seemed to have a much deeper meaning than the common word, too. Mialee nodded again, blinking furiously. As Estana stepped away from her, the brown-haired elf suddenly called her back.  
'Wait. Take this.'  
She dug around in her pockets and pulled out a single glass flask. A clear liquid was inside. It looked like water, but the extremely careful way in which Mialee handled the flask indicated it to be something much more valuable.  
Estana realized what it was, too. She raised a single eyebrow.  
'Are you sure that you should not keep that for yourself?'  
Mialee shook her head.  
'No, you take it. Please. Take it and go home. I need you to be safe.'  
Estana smiled softly at that answer. She took the vial from Mialee, giving her an approving nod.  
'And you as well. If you can't make use of this, at least allow me to give you something in return.'  
She reached for the elvish cloak around her shoulders, quickly taking it off and handing it to Mialee.  
'It will make you blend in with your surroundings. Perhaps you'll be just sneaky enough to avoid the next ambush.'

That last part was said with a slight smirk. Mialee seemed torn between being thankful and peeved for a moment. Then she decided on the former, and took the cloak of elvenkind from her mentor.  
'Thank you, Esta. Really.'  
'No, Mialee. Thank you for finding me. Thank you for being alive.'

It was the last words they shared between them. The group watched as Estana stepped back, turned around... and vanished into the forest landscape. The lack of a cloak did not seem to hinder her ability to hide at all. Just like that, she was gone.

Mialee kept looking in the direction of where she'd disappeared for a long time. Eventually, the brown-haired elf tied Estana's cloak around her own shoulders. It fit her almost perfectly. Mialee exhaled, grabbed hold of her bow and turned towards her companions.

'Let's go, everyone. We're almost back in Neverwinter.'

* * *

It did not take the group long to make it all the way back. The rest of the journey was traveled without any problems, save for Nala occasionally getting snagged on roots and branches. After about an hour, Telyn popped back up. She'd chased after crows again. And found nothing. Again. While seemingly a little disappointed, the pink-haired bard quickly fixed her own mood and accompanied them back to Neverwinter.

Back in town, they once again complimented Meek on his very first adventure (and what an adventure that had been! Surely nobody had expected that a single cave crawl would turn into a mimic fight, a pixie prank, a terrible discovery at a wizard's tower, a tussle with a shambling mound _and_ an orc battle. The boy had had more than his fill for a first adventure).

After that, they parted ways for the day. Mialee, Telyn, Echo and Yorda went off to their own business in the city, while Nala and Alatar immediately retired to Butch's inn.

'Darlings!' Butch yelled from behind the counter, as soon as he saw who were entering. 'How _wonderful_ to see you all-oh?'

Butch was fabulous as always. His handlebar moustache looked especially impressive, gleaming in the afternoon light. Once again, Butch was wearing a _very_ high-class steward suit with a coloured apron over it, a heart shape embroidered in the middle. This time, the apron was yellow. Perhaps he had a weekly colour schedule. He raised his eyebrows in surprise when he realized that his recent group of regulars had shrunk down to just two people.  
'My, where has everyone else gone off to? Is it just the two of you this time, darlings?'  
'No, the others will be coming,' Alatar corrected him. 'They're out on business. The usual, please. For everyone.'  
'Of course, sweetheart,' Butch giggled at him. 'Your usual room is all prepared. Here you go- the key. And remember, if you need _anything_ -'  
'Yes, yes, I'll let you know,' Alatar finished his sentence. But his tone had softened compared to the previous times. Alatar, too, was getting used to Butch. As soon as he took the key from his hand, Alatar began to make his way upstairs. Halfway there he suddenly seemed to change his mind, turning back around to Nala.  
'I'm going to work on some scrolls. I'll come back down eventually.'

And he was gone. Almost hurriedly so. It was rare for him to explicitly tell them what he was up to. Nala didn't stop to think about it, though. The gold-scaled Dragonborn moved over to the bar, plopping down on the nearest stool that she could find.  
'Hand me a drink, Butch.'

The blond-haired innkeeper elegantly moved from behind the counter to where Nala was sitting. He looked down on her with a sympathetic, almost paternal expression on his square face.  
'Rough day, honey?'  
Nala just grumbled. When Butch attempted to hand her some ale, she shook her head.  
'You got anything stronger?'

* * *

At the first signs of dusk, the rest of the group made it back to the inn. Telyn arrived first, having earned a pretty nice sum of money with playing at the town square. Echo and Yorda returned with the smell of fish accompanying them, and the tiny half-elf immediately went up to the honeymoon suite to take a bath. Echo, who was in the mood for a drink, resorted to magic to temporarily take the scent away. She spotted Nala and Telyn at the bar at the same moment that the doors to Butch's inn opened a third time. Mialee came in, carrying something on her shoulder. It was a falcon, with dark brown feathers and an intelligent look in its eyes. Even though Mialee was shorter than practically everyone there, the bird still managed to somehow look down on them.  
'Another chicken?' Echo smirked. Mialee shook her head.  
'His name is Erolith.'  
'Arrow-lith?'  
'No. _Erolith_. Pronounce it right.'  
'Erho-lith.'

If a bird could look offended, then this falcon definitely did. Echo and Mialee messed around with his name for a few moments. Then the brown-haired elf saw Nala sitting at the bar by herself. It didn't matter that Telyn was seated right next to her - the Dragonborn was looking down into her mug, and seemed to be miles away with her thoughts. Mialee approached her, leaning against the bar next to her stool.  
'Hey, Nala? Are you all right?'  
The gold-skinned Dragonborn grumbled something in return. She really seemed to be in a bad mood. And drunk. The paladin was hunched over at the bar, not bothering to look who it actually was that was standing behind her. It was so unlike Nala that it made the brown-haired elf frown.  
'What is going on?'

She received another grumble in response. Then the Dragonborn turned around, looking down in Mialee with unfocused eyes. It apparently took Nala a while to realize that it was her. Her frown deepened.  
'How long ago did you say that attack on your people was?'  
'Around thirty years ago,' Mialee responded. Nala let out something in between a grunt and a low chuckle.  
'That fucker. No wonder your clan got wiped out.'

She seemed to be far away with her thoughts, once again grabbing for her mug of ale. It had been such a slurred sentence, though, that Mialee had only heard the tail end of it. And she responded in kind. Taking it as an insult, the small wood elf immediately lashed out in rage.  
'How dare you speak of my people like that. You have no idea what kind of horrors we've gone through!'  
'No, I'm pretty sure that I do know,' Nala replied to her. Mialee liked that even less. For a moment, she seemed one hair away from breaking out into a shouting match. Then that moment passed. The brown-haired ranger abruptly turned around, almost hitting Echo in the face with her bow in the process, and stomped out of the inn. The double doors slammed shut after her.  
And Nala turned back towards the bar. Stubbornly, the Dragonborn gazed down into her mug. There was no ale left in there, but she did not seem to notice. Telyn still sat next to her, having witnessed the whole spat nervously. Not knowing what to do. Even Butch seemed to be less flamboyant around this particular part of the bar, having recognized Nala's foul mood for what it was.

Eventually, Echo let out a sigh. The Tiefling sat down on the stool next to Nala, making the paladin glance over her way.  
'What? Do you have something to get mad about, too?'  
'Oh, definitely,' Echo replied. She gestured towards Butch. He immediately handed her a mug of something or other, as well. The dark-haired Tiefling took a swig, taking a moment to enjoy the flavour before speaking.  
'Why'd you start drinking without me?'  
Nala let out a chuckle. A real one, this time.  
'Sorry. Habit.'

She held her mug out towards Echo. The Tiefling did the same, softly clanking her mug against Nala's. Then they both leaned backwards at the same time and chugged their drinks down to the last drop. The sound of two mugs hitting wood at the same time could be heard.  
'Butch, darling! Another, please.'  
He took their mugs, filling them back up with ale. Nala's had plain water in it. The Dragonborn did not seem to realize that, downing another drink in one big gulp. Tonight in particular she seemed to have no restraint at all. Echo watched her with a slight smirk on her face.  
'You know,' she eventually said, downing her mug as well, 'If I get really, really upset about something, do you know what I do?'  
'What?' Nala growled.  
'I scream. And yell at things. A lot. I let it out. It sounds stupid, but it works.'

Nala grumbled at that, slumping over in her seat a little. Next to her, Telyn pitched in as well. Echo couldn't actually see her behind Nala's massive appearance, but she could hear her voice.  
'Letting it out does help.'  
'They're right, you know,' Butch added, having listened in to the conversation. 'Keeping everything bottled up inside is never a good thing. Talking helps. Everyone has worries from time to time.'  
That seemed to have some kind of an effect on her. Nala slowly raised her gold-scaled head, looking their steward in the eyes.  
'At least your biggest worry isn't a tyrant.'

An ominous silence hung in the air for a few seconds, as everyone processed what she had just said. Even Butch seemed taken aback.  
'What do you mean?'  
The Dragonborn let out another deep sigh. She seemed to be debating with herself for a moment, after which she placed her mug on the bar.  
'I come from a village in the north, past the Ba'aalkadan desert. It has been struggling under the thumb of a tyrant, and getting caught up in a long-lasting war between Ocendra and Fortis Doíen, the two major cities in the northern region. Currently it's under the thumb of a tyrant. He is… a very nasty figure. Life has not been easy for anyone.'

As she talked, Alatar silently came back down the stairs. He immediately seemed to read the mood for what it was and did not interfere, approaching until he was within listening distance. A thoughtful frown was on his face, which deepened after Nala stopped talking.  
'Is that… what led to you choosing to become a paladin?'  
It was surprisingly tactful, and Nala appreciated it. She nodded at the wizard.  
'It was.'  
She sighed again, taking a swig of her drink before continuing.  
'They call him the High Ruler of the North. We call him the High Tyrant. I guess that doesn't matter. I want to take him down. I thought that coming here would help to make me stronger, to make me strong enough to be able to do that. I didn't think that he would follow me here.'  
'What do you mean, "follow you here"?' Echo replied, alarmed. The Dragonborn let out a low growl.  
'It was the orc. It was that damn orc chief. He told me before he died. He said that we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.'  
She moved to take another swig of her drink, but then stopped. Her hands balled themselves into fists.  
'He said that the High Ruler of the North would kill us all.'

A shocked silence fell in the group. Telyn's eyes were round as gold coins, widened in shock as she processed the information that she had just been given. Alatar and Echo were the same. The wizard reached a conclusion a little earlier than the rest, though.  
'You're bloody kidding me. That tyrant – way up in the northern region - those orcs are under his command?'  
Then Echo and Telyn realized it too.  
'Fuck. Mialee. Her clan.'  
Nala gave a single nod.  
'Indeed. The tyrant from my village may very well be the same person that is responsible for massacring her family.'

It had been plaguing her mind ever since the House of Knowledge. Ever since that vision. The dozens of feet, marching. Weapons at the ready. The beating of wings in the distance. Nala hadn't realized just how large his reach had grown. Until now. The orcs that Mialee was hell-bent on taking revenge on were under the command of the very person that was responsible for the misery of Nala's village. They had to be. It was just too much of a coincidence. That, paired with the vision that the House of Knowledge had given her…  
Was enough to make her panic. And when Nala panicked, she always ended up in the same place.  
At the closest bar, drunk out of her mind, with a mug of ale in hand.  
'Does Mialee know?' Echo asked her. The Dragonborn shook her head.  
'I don't think so.'  
'You need to tell her, darling,' Butch frowned. 'And the other little elf- you need to tell her, too.'

He was right. Nala owed it to them. And even if she did not – the paladin couldn't ignore this any longer. She was worried for her village. She needed to go back home. And she needed help when she got there.  
She needed everyone.  
Where was everyone, again?

At that moment, footsteps from the direction of the stairs could be heard. Yorda had chosen that moment to rejoin the group.  
With no dress on. From the waist up, the pale glowing half-elf was completely naked. The only thing on her was a greyish cloth pants riddled with pockets, and the cord with the piece of fur around her neck. That was it. She casually walked down the stairs, tilting her head at the gasps and stares around her.

Butch spotted her immediately. His hand shot upwards to cover his mouth.  
'D-darling! No, no, no, no!'  
He went for her immediately, sidestepping the other customers and grabbing a spare tablecloth as he went. Butch elegantly draped the cloth around Yorda's shoulders. It was like watching someone delicately dress a doll.  
'Sweetheart, what happened to your dress?'  
'It tore,' Yorda said. She held up her dress. It had already been badly damaged when they first met her, but the latest few days of traipsing around the woods truly had done a number on it. Large tears ran from the shoulders over the chest area and all the way down to the bottom. It was in a state far beyond repair. Yorda merely shrugged, dropping the thing on the floor.  
'I don't need it.'  
'But you can't go around _naked_!' Butch protested. Yorda pointed at her pants.  
'I'm not.'  
'I- but you're- you have no- darling, _you know what I_ _mean_!'

She clearly didn't. It was rather comical. Butch kept trying to keep her covered, and the tablecloth kept sliding off. Eventually he let out a dramatic sigh before turning around.  
'I'll be right back, sweetheart. Stay right there. Don't move.'

And he left them, disappearing into the back room. Not two seconds later Butch came back out. He marched straight back to Yorda, clutching something red. With a father-like expression, he handed it to her.  
'Here, darling. Wear this for now.'  
It was one of this aprons. This one was bright red. Butch helped her put it on, tying it behind her back with a cute bow. Then he stepped back, and his expression fell.  
'Hm. Somehow it just looks more alluring.'  
'I think it's an improvement,' Echo grinned. The man just shook his head, determined to find something else. He picked up the rags and marched off to the counter with them.

At that moment, Echo felt a soft tap on her upper arm.  
'A word?'  
It was Yorda. She looked up at the Tiefling, that strange look in her eyes once again. Echo nodded to her.  
'What's up?'  
She shook her head.  
'No. Alone.'

She took Echo by the hand, leading her towards the stairs. That paired with the still _very_ revealing apron left Butch clasping a hand over his mouth.  
'Oh. Oh, my.'  
The group watched as the two of them vanished upstairs. It left a rather uneasy silence, will Nala stubbornly looking down her mug of ale again. Telyn didn't seem to know what to do, either. Eventually, Butch turned towards her with the ruined dress in his hands.  
'So... do you know how to sew?'

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

Yorda ended up leading Echo back to their usual room, the extra-luxurious honeymoon suite. Since they rented it so often, it had almost become somewhat of a home. Or at least, that was how Yorda saw it.

As soon as they were both inside, Yorda closed and locked the door. She took a deep breath. The pale half-elf turned back towards Echo, a determined look in her grey eyes.  
'You told me to give you time. I have given you time.'

It was blunt and direct and, obviously, caught Echo off-guard.  
'Oh.'  
She seemed to be at a loss for words. Yorda waited, allowing her to get it back together.  
'Right. I did say that.'

It was a gamble. Yorda had a vague suspicion of what could have happened in the House of Knowledge, but she wanted Echo to tell her. And the Tiefling did not like telling people things. At all. The only times where Yorda felt that the Tiefling had truly been forthright with her, was when she was away from the others.  
Or when she barged in on her naked. That worked, too.

'You did say that.'  
The Tiefling broke eye contact with her. Her tail twitched uncomfortably. She took a deep breath. Then Echo seemed to deflate a little, and began to talk.  
'Do you remember what I told you about that spot on my hip?'  
'I do.'  
'Yeah… you would, wouldn't you? Well, that was why I went to the House of Knowledge. To find out what gave that to me. I asked them, and… and I learned something.'  
The Tiefling took another deep breath.  
'I… I haven't been entirely honest with everyone. About what really happened in Thundertree.'  
Yorda knew. She'd had her suspicions ever since that first night back in Neverwinter. In a soft tone, the pale half-elf voiced her thoughts.  
'You remember everything, don't you?'  
Echo nodded. She looked at the ground, fiddling with the nails of her hand.  
'I know I died. I know how it happened, and I know that I was gone. I remember a terrible void. Just… darkness. Everywhere. A voice, talking to me. Pushing me back towards the living. That's what left that mark on my skin. I couldn't know for sure until I had Salyndra confirm it. But she did. That… thing, whatever it was, brought me back from the dead and left a mark in return.'

She placed a hand on her waist as she spoke, covering the mark underneath her tunic. Her gaze turned dark. In that moment, the sense of dread that radiated off of the Tiefling was almost tangible. Yorda didn't know what she was thinking. She did not have to. The pale half-elf watched as Echo dug her nails into her side before abruptly looking back her way. Fear shone through her white eyes.  
'Yorda, I think there's something inside of me.'

As she said that, the Tiefling's fragile sense of calm finally broke. She approached the half-elf, her tail stiff and plastered to the back of her legs. Yorda had never seen her like that before. Whatever had gotten a hold of her, she was terrified of it. If it even was a person. She didn't seem to know that herself, either. The Tiefling looked down, keeping eye contact with Yorda.  
'Do you… do you have experience with these kind of things? Is it like what you have with that beast? That can take you over, too, right? Is that what this is? Is there a monster inside of me?'

For a moment, the pale half-elf didn't know what she was talking about. Then it dawned on her. A look of determination appeared on her face as she remembered words from a long, long time ago.

* * *

 **Echo**

* * *

The Tiefling watched in confusion as Yorda's expression changed to a determined look.  
I'd like to try something. But I need you to trust me.'

Echo hesitated. She had no idea what was going on in Yorda's head. As usual. The Tiefling looked at the tiny half-elf in front of her, unsure of what was going to happen. A small part of her was protesting, telling her to leave. Telling her that she was too vulnerable here, that she already knew too much. That the only one that you could really trust, was yourself.

The other part of herself... nodded.

'Okay.'  
A faint shadow of a smile flashed by on Yorda's face, before being replaced again by seriousness. She took Echo by the hand. It felt warm, and the pull was strangely commanding. Echo let Yorda lead her towards the bed. The Tiefling would have made a suggestive comment about it, if she wasn't absolutely terrified.  
Yorda sat her down near the pillow, keeping some room between Echo's back and the wall. When she spoke, her voice was a few pitches lower than usual.  
'I want you to close your eyes.'

She did. The world around Echo went dark. She could still feel her surroundings, though. The Tiefling sat perfectly still, unsure of what she was supposed to do next. Waiting for something to happen.

Something touched her forehead, right between her eyebrows. Echo could feel a strange magic seep into her body, spreading through her system. Her mind started to feel exceptionally clear.  
'I am going to move away from you in a moment. When I do, I want you to do the following. I want you to imagine that you are floating in a void of emptiness, with nobody around but you. A place of absolute nothing. I want you to meditate on that feeling until you become unaware of this room. Can you do that?'

As Yorda spoke, Echo became aware of a strange sense of dread that made all of the hairs in her neck stand upright. There was a strange… power, seeping through Yorda's words. Echo's hands began to shake. The lack of sight didn't help, either. She was absolutely terrified. But Echo forced herself to nod, somewhat reassured by the presence of the half-elf next to her.  
'Good. Meditate on that feeling until you become unaware of this room. When that happens, I want you to try and reach out into that void. You need to call out. Not with your hands or your voice, but with your mind. If there truly is a creature bonded to you as- if there really is something linked to you, then you should be able to sense it right behind you.'

Her presence moved away from Echo and towards the door. Unaware of the panic that her words had unleashed in Echo's mind. When she made to leave, the Tiefling called her back.  
'Yorda? Where- where are you going?'  
A split second of silence. Then her voice rang out from the surrounding darkness.  
'I will be right outside the door. If you call for me, or I hear anything, I will come in. I will be right outside.'  
'...Okay.'

A soft creaking of the door, and then Echo was left in compete silence. Almost immediately, a stronger sense of dread kicked in. It took every ounce of willpower that she had to keep herself from opening her eyes and flying out the door after her.

She did not want to do this.

She did not want to do this.

Don't make me do this.

Echo took a deep breath, calming herself. Her heart was hammering in her chest. Slowly, she forced herself into a meditative position. Her heart rate slowed. The Tiefling focused on the sound of her own breathing, gradually forgetting her surroundings as she did so. In and out.

In.

And out.

Before too long, Echo lost track of time. It seemed to take an eternity, but eventually her body became numb and she could feel herself disconnecting from the world around her. She couldn't hear her breathing anymore. Echo floated around in utter darkness, her senses cut off. Around her was a vast sea of nothingness, stretching out for an eternity.

It felt cold.

She was right outside the door.

Slowly, incredibly slowly, the Tiefling imagined herself reaching behind her. Even in a meditative illusion, her fingers were shaking. They stretched out into the inky blackness around her. The dark-haired warlock reached out with her mind, as she had been told to do. Reaching. Searching.  
Calling out.

And nothing happened.

Echo could feel the magic that expanded her mind fading. Her meditative trance ended. There hadn't been anything. She let out a small sigh, not sure if she should feel disappointed or relieved. Nothing had happened. There was no bond. No link. Maybe Salyndra had been wrong, after all.  
Maybe she was free.

Echo opened her eyes.

And froze. In front of her, floating above the bed, was a piercing pair of bright yellow eyes. Echo could feel every muscle in her body tense up as the thing made eye contact with her. Her head began to throb. She couldn't move.

The eyes came closer.

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

The pale half-elf was standing in the hallway, right behind the closed door to the honeymoon suite. Her eyes were closed and her hand was clasped around the piece of fur around her neck. She found herself doing that more and more often these days.  
Being cut off… hurt.

Suddenly, the pale half-elf perked up. A cold chill ran down her spine, making all the hairs in her neck stand on edge. Her gaze was inexplicably drawn to the door behind her.  
'…Yorda?'

She turned around so fast that it almost caught her off balance, only righting herself by grabbing hold of the doorknob. Yorda pushed it open and flew into the room. The first thing that she noticed was that it still looked exactly the same as when she had left it. Echo was still on the bed, sitting with her back to the wall and her legs folded underneath her.

The second thing she noticed was that all the colour had drained from Echo's face. The Tiefling's eyes were wild, and Yorda could see her knuckles getting white from clutching onto the bedsheets.  
Something had definitely happened.  
'What did you see?' Yorda asked, stopping just short of the bed herself.  
'She was right. There really is something there.'  
'Did you talk to it? What was it like?'

But the dark-haired Tiefling merely shook her head, unable to answer. Yorda had never seen her so shaken before. Her face was white as a sheet. She was still trembling, and for a moment the pale half-elf wondered if she had pushed her too far. With a worried frown, Yorda placed a single hand on her shoulder.  
'Calm down. Deep breaths.'  
That did seem to help... a little bit. Echo's face slowly returned to her normal color. Eventually the Tiefling let out a sigh, leaning back into the wall.  
'For fuck's sake. That was terrifying.'  
'Really? I find it comforting. Most of the time.'  
A shadow of a smile appeared on her lips, if only for a second.  
'You do some weird things, you know.'  
Yorda just shrugged.  
'Not weirder than nailing underwear to a ceiling.'

A soft chuckle escaped Echo's lips as both of them thought back to that evening. It had only been a couple of days since then, but it already seemed like an eternity. The Tiefling shook her head with a wry smile.  
'Ah, this is insane. I don't know why I let you talk me into scaring the shit out of myself.'  
'Because you have to know.'  
'...Yeah. I guess there's that.'

She let out another sigh. Her tail had gone back to normal, too. Echo seemed all right now. Yorda cautiously approached the subject again.  
'So... what _did_ you see?'  
'Not much, actually. Nothing until the very last moment. But... there were yellow eyes. Glaring straight at me. Right until you came running in.'  
Her voice slunk down to a soft mutter.  
'There really is something there. I'm not sure if knowing that made it better… or worse.'

Yorda just stayed silent. She didn't know the answer to that, either.

* * *

The next morning, the group made it downstairs to find Butch, waiting for them by the counter, with his chest puffed out and a large, happy smile on his face. In his hands was the dress that Yorda had abandoned the other evening. Butch and Telyn had done such a good job mending it that you could barely tell that it was the same dress anymore. The thing looked ridiculously cute, with little frills adorning the skirt and sleeves.  
'Here, darling! It's all fixed now. Here you go.'  
He made to hand the dress to Yorda, who was looking at it with a frown on her pale face.  
'This will not last in battle.'  
'The correct answer here would be "thank you", Nala softly scolded her. Then the paladin's eyes fell on Mialee, strolling in through the front door. In the end, the brown-haired elf had not returned to the inn for the entire night. Nala remembered their spat the other evening. Now that she had sobered up, the Dragonborn felt ashamed of the whole thing. She had a habit of not being careful with her words when she was drunk. The paladin awkwardly approached Mialee, who watched her with a wary expression on her face.  
'Uh… good morning, Mialee.'  
'… Good morning.'

An awkward silence filled the air. Nala coughed, and quickly moved on.  
´I, uh… I wanted to apologize to you. I was drunk last night and, uh, should have chosen my words more carefully.'

That did not seem to get much of a reaction out of Mialee. The brown-haired elf merely stood there, looking at her with a cold expression in her green eyes. Just like that, they'd gone back to the same glare as in Thundertree. It was an expression that Nala thought she'd finally gotten rid of, too.  
'I'm sorry that I said what I said. I really didn't mean to insult your clan in any way, Mialee. It's terrible what happened to them. I know – if what that orc said was true, then your family was killed on orders of the very same tyrant that I've been plagued by my whole life.'  
She bowed her head in remorse.  
'I tried to say that we might have the same enemy. I'm sorry that it did not come out that way.'

The cold stare continued for another second. Then Mialee sighed, her gaze softening.  
'I'm sorry too. I know you're not the sort of person that would say something like that. I apologize for letting my emotions get the better of me. I just can't help myself when it's about my clan. It's… a work-in-progress, I suppose.'  
'That makes two of us,' Nala said, with a tiny smile. It was returned by Mialee. They looked at each other for a while, the tension broken.

Then Mialee finally seemed to process what else Nala had been saying.  
'...wait. What tyrant?'

* * *

 _We had to put my cat down today. She had a sickness that couldn't be cured, and she was about to start feeling a lot of pain. Losing that cat hurts more than losing a human family member did._

 _Take care of your pets, guys. Show them you love them while you can._


	33. Chapter 3,3 - Home's where the Desert is

**3.3 – Home is where the Desert is**

 _This is the last chapter I can write before fully catching up to where we currently are in the campaign. Which is something I don't want to do. Luckily, we're resuming play two weeks from now. The next chapter after this may take a little while, but I hope you enjoy this one! As always, comments are always appreciated ^^_

* * *

After a delicious morning feast, made lovingly by Butch (who was beginning to look more and more like a doting father figure to them all), the gold-scaled Dragonborn finally opened up to the entire group about what had been troubling her. She told them everything that she had shared the other evening. About who the High Ruler in the North was. What the connection was between him and the Orcs who killed Mialee's family. And, although not in detail, about her own history with the tyrant. It was a long, serious conversation.

'I worry for my village,' the Dragonborn finally concluded. 'When I left, things were still relatively peaceful. But seeing the orcs all the way down here, and after that vision... I'm afraid something terrible is going to happen. Soon. I don't know what, or how soon... but I have to go back. To make sure they're safe.'  
She sighed, looking at the people gathered around her. They had retreated into one of the comfy corners in Butch's inn. Everyone looked at her, their expressions as serious as hers. Nala had grown strangely fond of them all. Even Alatar.  
'I know that we agreed to have Meek's request be our last adventure together,' the paladin spoke. 'And I know that we all met through sheer chance. But I'd like to think that we're more than just a group of random strangers by now. We've been through a lot together. I've gotten to know you all. There might not be anything wrong back home. But if there is... Then I really need your help.'  
She ended with a plea to the rest of the group. For a moment, she was afraid that the others might refuse.

But that fear soon proved to be unnecessary. Mialee stood up from her seat, nodding towards the Dragonborn.  
'Of course I'll help. You helped me when I needed it. It is time to return the favor.'  
'Indeed,' Echo added. 'I've gotten used to having all of you around, too. It would be weird to just end things here. Plus, it'll be interesting to see where you're from.'

Alatar nodded, his fingers entwined as he rested his head on his hands. The wizard seemed to be deep in thought.  
'Northwards… that leads us straight through the Ba'aalkadan desert. If we're passing through there anyway, I'd like to make a little detour while we're crossing the desert.'  
'What kind of detour?' Mialee asked curiously. Alatar merely shrugged at her.  
'Call it a house-call. It won't take long, I promise.'

That seemed to be all he was willing to say about it. The rest of the group shrugged, accepting his request for what it was. Nala looked at all of them with a grateful smile on her face.  
'Thank you. All of you. I won't forget this, I promise.'  
'Careful with those promises,' Echo smirked at her. 'You never know what memory-wiping mimic we'll come across in the future.'

She turned towards the only member of the group who hadn't spoken yet. Yorda had perched up near the window, bathing in the morning sunlight with her eyes closed.  
'Yorda? Are you up for another adventure?'  
The pale half-elf lazily looked back at her, a smile playing on her lips.  
'Always.'

* * *

Not long after that, the group left Neverwinter. They said their goodbyes to Meek, who seemed ready to set sail for an adventure of his own, and encouraged him to follow his ambitions. The red-headed boy literally darted off into the sunrise after that. Mialee sent her newly bought falcon off with a message for Daran, and with that, they were good to go.

Their journey proved to be a long one. Especially on foot. The group found themselves on the road for a good five days, passing both Phandalin and Bannockburn. The lush forest around them gradually began to turn less lush from the sixth day onward. The trees shrunk. Turned to shrubs. Then vanished. Dark earth turned to a loose grey, then sand.

On the dawn of the seventh day, they reached Ba'aalkadan.

The group looked out over a massive, golden desert. Sand dunes stretched out as far as the eye could see, reaching far past the horizon. Thousands of sand grains reflected the sun's rays, giving the dunes a soft golden sheen. It hurt a little to look directly at it, actually. Yorda, Mialee, Telyn and Echo all found themselves squinting at the scene in front of them. The brown-haired ranger placed a hand above her eyes to block out the sun. It didn't do much.  
'Are there no trees at all?'  
'Not really, no,' Alatar shrugged. 'There's shrubs. Sometimes. And cacti further in. But nothing like the forests that you're used to.'

Mialee did not seem to like that at all. She let out a huff, grabbing for her bow as she moved to take her usual place at the head of the group.

Alatar stopped her at the last second.  
'Actually... you might want to let me take charge this time.'  
'What? Why?'  
'You're not used to the desert,' the wizard explained. 'You don't know what to look out for, and you might lose your way.'  
'I _never_ lose my way,' Mialee protested.  
'Do you know where you're going?'  
'...No.'  
'As I said. You'll want to let Nala and me take charge. You don't want to get caught in quicksand.'  
A confused frown appeared on Mialee's face as she allowed Alatar to take the lead.  
'What's quicksand?'

* * *

It was a very slow journey from that point forward. Most of the people in the group were not equipped to deal with wading through sand dunes, or used to walking in it. Especially Telyn and Echo found themselves constantly at half speed as their feet sunk beneath the sand at every step. Alatar did not seem to have the same problem. He was obviously used to a desert environment. Mialee and Yorda managed, somehow. It was probably more due to them being so light than it was due to any sort of skill, though.

Nala did not take to the desert sands well. As she was a paladin, her heavy armor immediately started to feel warm on her scales. And where Telyn and Echo only sunk a few inches beneath the surface, the Dragonborn struggled with every step.

So she opted not to take any, instead. Nala muttered under her breath, her holy symbol beginning to glow a soft white. She placed her hand in the air, reached out... and made contact with the snout of a strange, pinkish brown camel that seemed to apparate out of thin air. A beautiful saddle and reigns appeared with it, too. The rest of the group watched in stunned confusion as Nala grabbed hold of the saddle and hoisted herself up and out of the sands.  
'What?' she said, as soon as the Dragonborn realized that they were staring. 'The journey would take forever otherwise.'  
'I'm not complaining, but how about five more of those camels?' Echo replied. Nala gave her a guilty look.  
'I'm sorry. If I could summon more of them, I would.'  
She got a grumble in response.

Even with Alatar and Nala's guidance, it took the group almost an entire day to make it to where they were going. The desert sands were harsh. The sun was almost blindingly bright. And even though the wizard constantly picked the easiest paths to take, the group soon found themselves getting exhausted.  
'It's just a little further,' Alatar spoke, after climbing to the top of yet another sand dune. 'We're almost there now.'  
'You've been saying that for over an hour,' Telyn complained. The pink-haired bard was considerably less pink; she'd fallen down a few times, and sand tended to get _everywhere_. Her hair, her clothes, even her eyebrows. The rest of the group looked about the same. Alatar shrugged.  
'Landscapes change in the desert. But we're really almost there now.'  
'What do you mean, they _change_? We've been going up and down the same damn dunes all day! They're all alike!'

To illustrate her point, Echo made a wide gesture to the sand dunes around them. It was true – to the unfamiliar eye, they really did all look the same.

Or maybe not all of them. As the group glanced around, Yorda's gaze fell on a dark shape at the top of one of the dunes in the distance. She frowned, and pointed at it.  
'What is that?'  
The others followed her gaze. It was hard to see with the burning sun, but there was definitely something there. It looked a bit like a... dog? The beast was rather small, with mottled brown fur, a slender build and rather large-looking ears.  
Alatar took one look at the beasts and shrugged.  
'Jackals. Alone they don't do much harm, but they can be nasty in a group.'  
A second shape popped up next to the first one. Then a third. And a fourth.  
'Uh... what qualifies as "a large group"?'  
A shrill bark resounded through the desert. The jackals turned around and vanished on the other side of the sand dune. Yorda looked a little disappointed to see them go.  
'They left.'  
'Well, yeah. They won't approach a large group like this out of the blue. Come on. We're almost there.'

* * *

At the first signs of dusk, the group finally made it to their destination. Kubasaana was a small village in the middle of the desert, about the size of a hamlet. All of the buildings were made out of sandstone, smooth from years of having sand scraped over it. The place seemed to be built up around a single stone well. That also appeared to be the only other thing there. It couldn't be home to more than a few dozen people.  
'Wait, you have business in a place like this?' Echo asked, her eyebrows raised. Alatar just shrugged.  
'Can't choose your home town.'  
'...Wait, your home-?'

The rest of her sentence was abruptly cut short when out of nowhere, a blood-curdling scream pierced the evening air.  
'YAAAARGH!'  
It was all Alatar needed to spring into action. He jumped off the sand dune, sliding down it in a way that only a professional could, and started to run towards the sound.  
'Seriously?!' Echo yelled. 'We _just_ got here!'

The rest of the group quickly followed after him. They soon found out what the source of the screaming was. There, at the very edge of the village, stood a single human man. He looked to be in his sixties, with sand-bleached clothes and salt-and-peppered hair.

He was also in the process of getting eaten by a rabid jackal. The beast had clasped onto his arm, burying its teeth deep into the flesh. The ground below them was already starting to turn red.

Mialee rushed in, drawing her blades as she too tried to slide down the sand dune. It did not go well. The wood elf immediately lost her balance. She fell, sliding down on her behind instead.

That seemed to piss her off a fair bit. Mialee aimed her focus at the jackal in front of her – and all of a sudden her eyes flashed with greenish energy. The next second, her form had vanished. In an instant, Mialee went from being prone on the ground to right next to the old man, ready to pounce.  
'Did you know she could do that?' Telyn whispered to Echo. The Tiefling just shrugged.  
'Nope.'  
They followed suit, joining the fray as well. Halfway down the dune, though, all of them noticed something that the overeager Mialee had failed to see.  
There were things moving in the sand.

As soon as Yorda slid down far enough to reach one of them, the sands suddenly shifted and another jackal popped up. And that wasn't the only one. The group watched as one, two, three, four more jackals sprung forth from the sands, their teeth bared. They looked a little different from the ones that they'd seen before. These ones had a nasty, calculating look in their eyes. They moved with purpose, too. Something was off about these jackals.  
Something was wrong.

Mialee didn't care. With an angry snarl, the brown-haired elf lunged at her target. Her swords drew a large arc in the sky, swinging down ferociously to tear at their opponent.  
And nothing happened. The swords just sort of... slid off, as if they'd suddenly gone blunt. It took the elf by surprise. She slashed at the nearest jackal again, to the same effect.  
And the beast retaliated. It let go of the villager, switching its focus to the stabby elf instead. With an angry snarl, the jackal ripped through her elven pants and bit into her thigh.  
'OWW! Get OFF!'

By now, Nala had made it over as well. The gold-scaled paladin swung Hew as hard as she could. The dark axe trailed a large arc in the sky before embedding itself in the jackal's back, effectively splitting it in half. It let out a pained yip before falling to the ground.

The other jackals did not seem to like that. As two charged Nala and Mialee and a third circled Yorda, what looked like the leader of the pack made its way to the middle of the battlefield. It puffed up its chest, raised its fanged head high – and let out a howl with much more power than you'd expect from such a small creature.  
And its form began to change.  
In a matter of seconds, the small jackal had vanished. What rose up in its place was something entirely different. A humanoid-like beast form stared them down, standing at a height that was almost equal to Nala. Sandy fur covered all of its body, but you could see the strong muscles underneath. Its fingers ended in dark, nasty-looking claws. Its head had become somewhat human-like, but still with a muzzle and those same beady black eyes.  
'What the fuck?!' Echo yelled. In front of her, the werecreature opened its mouth, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. It howled again, barked at the other jackals – and then, without any warning, pounced on Nala.  
Only her heavy armor kept the Dragonborn from getting her arm ripped off. The jackalwere's claws were incredibly sharp, and the force behind the blow told all of them that these monsters were not to be trifled with.  
'Mialee! Get behind me!'

Too late. Mialee's path was cut off by another jackal, who had placed itself in a flanking position after the barks from the leader. It bit at her ankles as she stepped back, almost causing the brown-haired elf to fall over.  
'Damn it! Everyone, be careful!'  
Her words were accompanied by the howls of three more jackals. The group watched as they, too, began to rapidly change shape. Before they had time to blink, they were surrounded by jackalweres. The beasts charged, snarling visciously.

This was going to hurt.

The beasts pounced. They raked across Nala's shield and Mialee's armor with their claws, their jaws snapping inches away from their unprotected throats. The beasts were so fast and so vicious that the Dragonborn and the elf quickly moved back-to-back, to cover each other. Mialee kept slashing at them with her short swords. Her weapons kept gliding off harmlessly. Alatar pelted the beasts with Frost Rays from behind, but that did not seem to do much, either.

Back on the sand dune, Yorda found herself facing a third. It was on all fours, clawing into the sand as it made its way towards her. The pale half-elf cocked her head curiously.  
'Hello.'  
It snarled – and was promptly hit in the side by an Eldritch Blast from Echo. It slid back down, yipping angrily. Echo cast Yorda a sideways glance.  
'Are you going to do this _every_ time?'  
'Yes.'  
'I figured.'  
She put out her arm, readying another Eldritch Blast. The werejackal noticed that, too. He switched targets. His yellow eyes focused on Echo instead. The two made eye contact-  
And Echo's body went limp. The Tiefling sunk down right where she stood, unconscious. It caused Telyn to scream in surprise.  
'Echo?!'

She ran towards the fallen Tiefling at the same time that Yorda hurled a shard of crystal-like ice towards the werebeast. It buried itself in its shoulder, drawing blood. Then the shard exploded. The jackalwere let out a horrible screech as half of its body was ripped open by the ice shards. Another Frost Ray from Alatar, aimed at his other half, turned him into an icy statue on the spot.

One down.

'Echo! Hey-wake up!'  
Telyn had sunk down next to the fallen Tiefling. She was completely unresponsive. The pink-haired bard checked her pulse, pressing a finger on the vein in her neck. A relieved sigh escaped her lips. Then she grabbed Echo by the waist and – to everyone's surprise – began tickling her companion.  
And it actually worked. The Tiefling stirred. She groaned, then began to chuckle.  
'S-s-stop. Stop that!'  
Echo slapped the fingers away. Then her mind caught up to the situation she was in. The Tiefling sat up, looking at Telyn with a confused expression on her face.  
'...What just happened?'

A howling screech caught her attention. The two of them turned to watch as Nala, having reached the leader, cut its chest open with another mighty swing of her axe. Alatar followed up with a bolt of electricity. It slammed into the jackalwere, making its body seize violently. It was more than the beast could handle. Its eyes rolled back in its head, and it fell to the ground with a soft _thud_.

Two down.

The remaining two did _not_ like their leader getting fried. They changed plans. To everyone's surprise, the two of them darted away from Nala and Mialee, heading once again for their original target- the wounded villager. He saw them coming. The man let out a panicked scream, scrambling to get away from them.  
'N-no! HELP!'

The jackalweres pounced... and were instead met by a furious Alatar.  
'Get- the fuck- **OUT OF MY VILLAGE!'**

For a moment, the wizard's eyes flared up with arcane energy. He pointed at the remaining two jackalweres. The group watched as, from the tip of his wand, a gigantic wave of water suddenly sprung forth. It slammed into the two werecreatures, hitting them like a brick wall. The force was incredible. Both jackalweres got hopelessly swept up in the maelstrom. It dragged them across the sand, pushing them out at least thirty feet. There the tidal wave dissipated. The water sunk into the desert sands, vanishing within moments.

Leaving two completely drenched jackalweres. They shook their heads in confusion before standing back up, dizzy from the sheer force of the tidal wave. Their eyes met with Alatar's. He raised his arms at them again.

And they ran. The jackalweres let out a high-pitched yip. They spun around as fast as they could and bolted, tail between their legs. One of them actually fell down trying to climb the sand dune. Alatar frowned. He began chanting under his breath, summoning more arcane energy, when-  
'Allie?'

The wizard froze. His magic fizzled out. In the distance, the two jackalweres vanished behind another sand dune. But nobody was paying attention to them anymore. They group turned around to see a few brave villagers, having come out of their houses to help. Two of them looked like guards, and were helping the man that had been assaulted.  
'Allie? Is that you?'

The third one was someone else altogether. Their gazes were met by a slender-looking elf, a little taller than Mialee. Long, auburn-coloured hair hung tied together into a loose braid on her back. Her skin was slightly tanned from the desert sun and her large, brown eyes glistened suspiciously as she looked at Alatar. Eyes in the exact same colour as his.  
The wizard gave a quick, sideways glance to his companions. Then a smile broke through on his face.  
'Hello, mother.'  
'It really _is_ you! Oh, Allie, it's so wonderful to see you again! Come here!'

She ran for him, eyes watery, and caught him in a hug. He was almost a foot taller than she was. Alatar awkwardly patted her on the back while she hugged her son. He seemed a little embarrassed, but let it happen. It was such an unusual thing for him that it caught the group by surprise.  
'Wait, wait,' Nala said, slowly catching up to events. 'The business you had here was... to visit your mother?'  
'He did say it was a house call,' Echo reminded the Dragonborn. A smirk played on her lips. Alatar's mother stepped away from him and gave him a good look-over.  
'My, but you're thin as a stick! What have you been doing? Have you been eating all right? I always worry for you on the road. Do you need some rations, or water? How are your clothes?'  
That seemed to embarrass him even further. The half-elf wizard quickly cut her off.  
'I am fine, mother. I'm more worried about you. You're still here?'  
A gentle expression appeared in the woman's eyes.  
'Allie, we talked about this. This is my home. I will not leave it.'

And she went right back to fawning over her son. The rest of the group stayed silent for a few minutes. Then Echo stepped forward.  
'Are you not going to introduce us, "Allie"?'  
Alatar shot her a venomous look. Then he noticed his mother watching and quickly reeled himself in.  
'Mother, these are the people that I'm currently traveling with. Everyone, this is my mother, Eileen.'  
Everyone gave her a polite nod, Echo even making an elegant bow. The sight of them was enough to make Eileen's eyes start watering again.  
'Oh, Allie. Look at all the friends you've made. I'm so proud of you, darling. And I'm so glad to see you. It's been so long I thought- I thought something terrible might have happened.'  
'M-mother, please don't start crying,' Alatar stammered. But it was already too late. Large tears dripped down Eileen's face as she once again hugged her son, pulling him close. It was a heartwarming scene. And ironic. Mialee, who had been accused of being too emotional by him many times, could not help but grin at the sight.

Eventually, she stepped back again. Eileen quickly wiped her face with the sleeve of her tunic. Then she turned towards the rest of the group with a large, welcoming smile.  
'Would you all like to stay for dinner? I don't have much, but I'd love to share what I have with you. How do you all feel about some hearty soup?'  
'Ah, no, we really-'  
'Would _love_ to!' Telyn quickly interjected, softly elbowing Alatar in the ribs. Eileen smiled again. It made her entire face light up with happiness. The woman was remarkably expressive, even when she wasn't bursting into tears. She immediately took off, gesturing for the others to follow.  
'This way, then! Oh, I haven't had this many new guests in decades! I hope I have enough plates. Oh, and chairs. Allie, could you get that large stool from the shed for your Dragonborn friend?'

The hooded wizard mumbled something in return, but split off from the group to get it anyway. Eileen led them around the side of one of the sandstone buildings. From the looks of it, the structure had been there for a long time. To everyone's surprise, Eileen's home actually had something that resembled a garden. They could see small clusters of delicate, yellow-leaved flowers behind a little fence, just sheltered enough to not get completely buried under sand.  
'Oh, those are Camissonia, dear,' Eileen smiled, when she saw Yorda look at them. 'They're about the only thing that grows around here.'  
'Camissonia?'  
'Also known as desert primrose,' Alatar explained. He'd appeared back around the corner with a large, bulky iron stool.  
'Oh, wonderful, darling. Put it inside, please.'  
He did, casting a sideways glance at the cluster of flowers as he walked in. Mialee gave Eileen an appreciative smile.  
'It must be hard to grow anything in this environment. They are wonderful flowers.'  
'Thank you, dear. But I barely do anything. They just happen to thrive here, that's all.'

* * *

The inside of Eileen's home was just as humble. There wasn't much of anything in there at all, actually. Just enough to be able to make a living. But the place radiated a sense of welcome and homeliness that most mansions couldn't hope to compete with. Eileen immediately made a beeline for her provisions – which were sparingly little – and began to tob over what to serve her guests.

It didn't take long for her to make up her mind, and within no time at all the lovely scent of freshly-made soup began to spread through the building. The group all gathered at her (now somewhat cramped) table and enjoyed a nice, homemade meal, talking with Eileen about the desert.

For about the first ten seconds. Then Eileen reached behind her and pulled something out from a drawer. It was a small book. Alatar groaned as soon as he saw it.  
'Mother, please. They don't want to see that.'  
The woman completely ignored her son's protests, opening the book at the table with a proud smile on her face.  
'I always knew that my Allie would grow up to be something special. Look! This is what he drew when he was six. And that's a pressed flower that he gave me on my birthday. Oh, and that's his first-'  
'Mom!'  
Everyone at the table laughed at Alatar's flustered expression. Just like that, he'd gone from a stuffy, calculative wizard to a boy who was embarrassed of his mother. It was a weird sight. But many people in the group had similar memories of their own parents. And those people couldn't help but smile at the scene.

Alatar, too, was a real person now.

'I'm sorry, Allie,' Eileen beamed at him. 'I'm just so happy to see you making so many friends. He had a lonely upbringing, you know. Having to study in that tower all the time. Oh, but he was a natural at magic from the very first day. I was so proud – I still remember the day that he learned that purple floating hand thing.'  
'Mage Hand, mother,' Alatar said, softly correcting her. Then he made a small gesture with his fingers. Eileen watched as a small, floating hand made of purple arcane energy lifted the water jug and filled her glass for her. Her smile grew even wider.

That smile turned to a confused frown when the hand floated back to Alatar, who put a large leather pouch on it before sending it back. It landed on the table near Eileen's bowl, vanishing with a soft _poof_.  
'Allie, what is this?'  
'Just some things I gathered on the road. It's nothing much.'

The sheer weight of the pouch seemed to suggest otherwise. Eileen opened it up. Her hand shot to her mouth and she let out a surprised squeal when the contents revealed themselves to her. Inside that pouch was a rather large amount of gold, silver and copper coins, paired with a jade frog statue that the party knew very well. It had been their first real treasure from back in the goblin cave. Back then, Alatar had immediately claimed it. For selfish reasons, the party had assumed. Now, almost two months later, he proved them wrong.  
'This- this is too much, Allie,' Eileen protested weakly. 'Are these all of your savings? I can't accept that. What about you? You need to eat, too.'  
'Don't worry about it,' the brown-haired wizard mumbled to her. 'I can just find more.'  
'But this is too... I couldn't possibly...'  
He threw her a look that was both annoyed and embarrassed. Then a faint smile appeared on his face. It was mimicked by his mother's.  
'Thank you, Alatar. I'm glad you're home.'  
'...Me too, mom.'

* * *

After dinner, the conversation slowly turned serious. It did not take the group long to return their thoughts to what had happened outside.  
'Are those kinds of attacks common around here?' Nala asked, glancing out the window. Both Eileen and Alatar shook their heads. It was the wizard who spoke first.  
'No, not at all. Those werecreatures aside, jackals usually don't approach the village. This is very unusual behaviour for them.'  
'Actually, Allie... they've been acting like that for a while now,' Eileen interjected. Alatar's brow furrowed worriedly.  
'What do you mean?'  
'For the past couple of weeks, the creatures have been getting more and more aggressive,' the elf explained. 'They used to just take off with a piece of livestock or two if we got too careless, but... well, you saw what happened. Those large ones seem to have some kind of control over the smaller ones. They've been routinely going after people.'  
'What do you mean, "going after people"?' Nala frowned. Eileen cast a worried glance outside. By now, the sun had completely vanished behind the sand dunes.  
'I mean that they take them away. We've had disappearances left and right. Some people have seen those larger ones picking people up and carrying them away towards the south. They never return the people they take, either. We don't know what happened to them. The lady next door lost her son just last week... it was horrible.'

That did not sound good at all. Nala, Alatar, Mialee and Echo all shared a dark look as they imagined what might have happened to the people that were taken. Especially Alatar looked worried. A deep frown was etched onto his face and his fingers fiddled with the sleeves of his robe as he turned to face his mother.  
'Do you not still have a town's guard here? Why haven't they gone to retrieve them?'  
'They tried, Allie. But the area that those beasts take them to is frequently plagued by sandstorms. And it's close to the southern quicksand pits, so venturing in too far is dangerous.'

He nodded at her in contemplation. The rest of the group could see the wheels turning in Alatar's head. Eileen seemed to realize what he was about to suggest as well, because her face suddenly darkened with worry.  
'No. No, you don't. Don't even think about it. They are too dangerous and too high in number to take on by yourself, Allie.'  
'He wouldn't be by himself,' Nala pitched in. Alatar threw her a look that could almost be described as grateful. But Eileen was having none of it.  
'Even so. There's only six of you. I know I can't tell you what to do, but please. I just want you to be safe, Allie.'

Her large, brown eyes were getting suspiciously moist again. Yorda looked at her, then glanced at Alatar. Then looked at Eileen again.  
'Your son is pretty strong, you know.'  
'Oh, I know, dear. I just don't think-'  
'Stronger than most people, you know. He took on a dragon!'

That was not what the motherly elf wanted to hear at all. Alatar glared daggers at Yorda at the same moment that Eileen, hands clasped over her mouth, yelled out:  
'He WHAT?!'  
'Drove it off, too!' Yorda grinned, completely ignoring the vengeful glares from her wizard companion. Eileen looked as if she was about to faint from horror.  
'You fought a- a- I cannot _believe_ you would even _consider_ -'  
'Don't worry about it, all right?' Alatar said quickly. 'I'm fine. And we don't plan on doing that again anytime soon. I think.'  
'Absolutely not,' Echo reacted grumpily. The others nodded. It put Eileen at ease... a little bit.  
'Well... all right then. Just make sure that you'll stay safe, Allie. You're all I have left, you know.'  
'I know,' Alatar mumbled. Yorda shot him a questioning look, but he ignored her.  
'Let's just all get some sleep. We'll talk about this more in the morning.'

* * *

The next morning, Alatar made sure to wait until his mother was out of earshot before addressing his companions.  
'Look, I can't ignore this. It's my mother. We're strong enough to take care of this in a day or so. And I need to keep her safe. Will you help me?'  
'Of course we will,' Nala said, acting as a group representative. 'I'd want you to do the same if it were me. Bahamut – in a week or so, it _will_ be me. You can count on us, Alatar.'  
He nodded at her, appreciative of the quick answer. Then a single smile spread on his lips.  
'Thank you.'

It caught the group by surprise. And not a little bit, either. All of them looked at Alatar in shock, not believing their own ears for a second. He'd thanked them. Alatar never thanked them.  
'Wow, you're a completely different person when your mother is nearby,' Echo finally grinned. 'I didn't think I'd live to see the day.'

The wizard opened his mouth to let out a sharp reply, but caught himself when he spotted Eileen in the distance. That made the rest of the group giggle again. In the end, Alatar just made an embarrassed shrug.

Idiots.


	34. Chapter 3,4 - Six idiots and a camel

**Chapter 3.4 - Six idiots and a camel**

 _Woo! That took a while. My laptop broke down, and being in another country waaaaaaay out of your comfort zone means that it'll take a while to get things back to normal. But everything seems all right again! For those of you that are in the Northern Hemisphere like me: OH MY GODS THE HEAT. May your days be cool and full of ice cream._

 _Anyway - I hope you enjoy the chapter! Comments are appreciated. =)_

* * *

 _The group talked briefly with the town guard, Mialee expressing her frustration with her weapons not working against the jackalweres. The guard captain agreed to lend her his silver sword. They accepted it gratefully._

After telling Eileen that they'd be going out for a while (and spending ten minutes trying to convince her not to worry), the group once again set out for the desert. Alatar led the way, expertly guiding them around the more treacherous spots of sand that they otherwise would have gotten caught up in. He really knew his way around the place. Having grown up here, that was to be expected. The only thing that didn't match was his pale skin.

It did not take long for them to reach their destination area. After taking shelter from a sandstorm within a magical dome made by Telyn, the group found themselves in the middle of the southern sand wastes. They had gathered at the top of a particularly large dune. With the rising sun in their backs, they looked out over the desert.  
'So, from here on, there's quicksand, right?' Nala asked, looking at the sand below them suspiciously. Alatar gave a single nod.  
'I'm not very familiar around here. And quicksand is nasty. We should tie ourselves together with a rope, just in case.'  
'That's a good call,' the paladin nodded. She reached into her backpack, pulling out a few feet of sturdy hemp rope. They began tying it around themselves.  
'Yorda, get over here. I'll tie you up.'  
The pink-haired bard coughed loudly, accompanied by a smirking Echo.  
'...nah. Too easy.'  
The pale half-elf was standing a little ways off from the rest of the group, staring into the distance. When Mialee tapped her on the shoulder, she didn't turn around. Yorda pointed to the south, to a spot in between the sand dunes.  
'Look.'

The brown-haired ranger followed her gaze. Her brow furrowed. There, not even that far in the distance, a couple of brown shapes could be seen. It were more jackals, accompanied by another two large werecreatures. They were in the process of sliding down a sand dune, towards the lowest point. The group watched as the sand underneath their paws began to roil. One by one, the creatures sunk underneath the sandy surface. It didn't take more than a couple of seconds for all of them to vanish.  
'So that's how the guard keep losing their trail,' Mialee thought out loud. 'What do you think is under there?'  
'Their lair, I'd assume,' Alatar replied. He did not seem happy with the current turn of events at all. The wizard did a quick lookaround for more jackals, but there were none. They were alone.

And Yorda slid down the sand dune, towards the pit.  
'Whoa! Hey!' Nala yelled after her. 'I haven't tied you up yet!'  
'...nope, still too easy.'  
The pale half-elf stopped halfway down the dune, looking back at Nala with a gleam of curiosity in her eyes.  
'I've never seen a quicksand pit before. It's interesting.'  
'It's a _quicksand pit_! You'll sink to your death!'  
She stayed silent for a second, looking up at the gold-scaled Dragonborn. Then a smile spread on her lips.  
'No. I won't.'  
And she slid down further, approaching the sand pit. The paladin just sighed.  
'This group... I swear to Bahamut...'  
Yorda just let out a chuckle. She was about fifty feet away from the pit when a dark shadow appeared behind them, blocking out the rising sun. Nala looked back with a frown on her face. A cloud?

Something brown flashed by, barely missing the top of her head by a couple of inches. Only when they rammed themselves into the ground around Yorda, blocking her path to the pit, did the group realize what they were. Large, nasty-looking brown spikes jutted out from the sandy ground. They were more than half of Yorda's size. If those things had hit her, she'd have turned into a meat skewer. The pale half-elf instead turned around, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand as she tried to see what had shot spikes at her.  
'Oh. Hello.'

Flying high above their heads, snarling menacingly, was a winged monstrosity. Draconic wings spread wide over a body that vaguely resembled a lion. Dark stripes ran across its brown, sandy fur. Its mane and tail were almost completely made up of the same brown spikes that had assaulted Yorda. But the most disturbing part was its head. It looked vaguely humanoid, resembling a male face. Behind its mouth, opened in a threatening snarl, the group could see rows and rows of razor sharp teeth.

Out of everyone there, only Alatar recognized it for what it was.  
'Manticore! Get down!'

But there was nothing to take cover behind. The group was caught between the manticore and the quicksand pits. If they slid down carelessly, they'd sink to their deaths. So they braced themselves. Nala and Mialee readied their weapons, the brown-haired elf taking aim with her bow. Alatar and Echo did the same with their spells. Telyn stood behind the Dragonborn, using her massive form for cover as she prepared to support the others.  
Yorda merely pointed at the massive spikes around her.  
'Do you want these back?'  
 _'Yorda!'  
_ 'What? It's a legitimate question!'

The manticore roared. It whipped its massive tail at the group, shooting off another barrage of spikes. One of them only barely missed Alatar. It ripped his robe open, leaving a large tear in the side. He, Mialee and Echo retaliated. They pelted the monster with arcane blasts and well-placed arrows. The manticore shrugged most of it off, though. He roared again, beating with his wings to gain even more altitude over the party.  
'Aim for the wings!' Alatar yelled at the rest of the group, moving towards the quicksand pits. 'As long as it's airborne, it has the advantage!'  
'Not against me, he doesn't!'  
Echo's eyes began to glow as she muttered an incantation under her breath. She took aim at the manticore – and this time it wasn't an Eldritch Blast. A massive fireball burst forth from her fingers, hurling itself towards the monster. It exploded right in its face. The manticore roared in pain, momentarily blinded by the sheer force of it.  
'Nice!'  
Mialee seemed to draw inspiration from the fireball. She ran down the sand dune, loosing another arrow at its stomach.  
'It's just one beast! We can take it!'

The words had barely left Mialee's mouth when a second roar resounded throughout the desert. The quicksand pit behind Yorda began to roil. The next moment, another manticore leapt out of the quicksand. This one was a little smaller, with a face that looked vaguely female. She jumped a good twenty, thirty feet up into the air before spreading wings that were a lot larger than those of her male counterpart.  
'You just _had_ to say it, didn't you?' Echo snapped at Mialee. The ranger shrugged.  
'So there are two targets. We can still take them.'

Mialee was testing fate – and fate was not in a good mood that day. As the male manticore kept raining spikes on the group, his companion suddenly swooped down towards Alatar. The wizard had moved away from the group to get a better aim. It proved to be a mistake. He got rammed full-speed by the manticore. Her claws tore into his robes, knocking him over and dragging him along the sandy ground. The wizard screamed in pain. It was brutal.  
'Alatar!' Nala yelled. The Dragonborn dashed down the sandy hill, taking out her javelin. She hurled it at the manticore as hard as she could. Bull's eye. Or manticore wing, more specifically. It pierced one of the wings, making the beast howl in pain. She instinctively let go of Alatar to protect herself, and flew back up.  
The wizard slid to a stop right next to one of the quicksand pits. A few seconds longer, and he would have ended up right in the middle of it. Alatar realized that, too. He gave the Dragonborn an appreciative nod. Then his focus shifted back to the manticore in the sky, and a murderous expression flashed in his eyes.  
'You'll pay for that.'

* * *

 **In a fight that was much more brutal than any of them had expected, the party eventually came out victorious. But not without a great amount of strength, spells and stamina having been exhausted from the two manticores. It had been a very tough fight. The group debated on whether they should take a rest, or keep going. As they were doing so...**

* * *

While Alatar was examining the manticore corpses, the rest of the party gathered around the quicksand pit. Not only had they seen their targets go in, but they'd seen something come back out as well. There was definitely something down there.  
And judging from the size of the manticores... it was something big.  
'Sooo... how do we all feel about sinking into the desert?' Nala finally said, after Alatar had rejoined them. Echo and Telyn both shook their heads.  
'No, thank you. We don't know what's down there.'  
'They could be waiting in an ambush. And how are we supposed to get back out?'  
'Like the manticore did?'  
'Oh, of course!' Echo replied sarcastically. 'Let's all grow wings and bone-crushing strength for a moment.'  
The Tiefling's point was made. They looked back down at the quicksand. It was completely motionless, and they were having trouble even telling it apart from the rest of the desert. It looked just like any other spot of sand.

Eventually, Yorda took a step forward.  
'I'll go.'  
Echo narrowed her eyes at her.  
 _'Can_ you grow wings and bone-crushing strength?'  
The pale half-elf let out a chuckle. She took another step towards the quicksand. Both Echo and Nala did not seem to like that. The dark-haired Tiefling put her arm out, trying to stop her companion.  
'Wait. You can't just go in there alone. It's quicksand – you can't come back out. And we won't know what's happening down there.'  
'I can,' Yorda smiled at her. 'And you should be able to talk to me with that message spell. Even down there. We've done that before. I'll go down and take a look around. If it's safe to come after me, I'll let you know.'  
The rest of the group looked at each other. It was a risky idea. Not necessarily a good one, either. But nobody had a better plan. Yorda shrugged, then smiled at them again.  
'Trust me.'  
She didn't look nervous at all. In fact, Yorda had an eager expression on her face that was rather familiar to the rest by now. Nala sighed.  
'At least let us tie a rope around you, just in case. My camel can tow you back out if anything goes wrong.'  
She reached into her backpack and pulled out a long hemp rope. Mialee piped up upon seeing it.  
'I have one of those, too. We can tie them together.'

And that is how it happened. Nala threw the rope around her summoned camel, while Echo tied the other end around Yorda's waist. With a frown, the Tiefling looked down at her.  
'Are you sure that you want to do this?'  
Yorda gave her a slight smirk.  
'I really just want to see what is at the bottom.'  
Echo shook her head at the pale half-elf. As soon as the knot was done, Yorda walked towards the quicksand pit, with Echo close behind.  
'I don't like this,' Nala mumbled.  
'We don't have a better plan,' Alatar replied. With his hands in his pockets, the wizard watched as Yorda stopped at the very edge of the pit. She looked down, then turned to Echo with an exited gleam in her eyes.  
'I can't _wait_ to tell Esterni about this.'

And she jumped.

As the pale half-elf slid down, the sand underneath her immediately began to roil. Her feet vanished into the pit. Then her legs. Her waist. The party watched from a distance as, within a few short seconds, Yorda's form was completely engulfed by the sands of the desert. Only the rope could still be seen - and that, too, was vanishing rapidly.

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

The pale half-elf had her eyes closed, covering her nose with both hands to be able to keep breathing while she sunk down into the sand. It was the strangest experience that she had ever had. The sand got everywhere, weighing down on her with more and more pressure as she sunk deeper. It slipped through the cracks in her fingers, cutting off what little air supply she had. Yorda held her breath, and waited.  
And waited.  
 _'Yorda? Are you all right?'  
_ Echo's voice. She was reaching out to her. But Yorda couldn't answer without opening her mouth, and she couldn't open her mouth without it filling her lungs with desert sands.  
Right. Probably should have thought that one through.

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

The gold-skinned dragonborn watched as Echo turned around with a nervous gleam in her eyes.  
'She's not responding.'  
'Give it a minute,' Alatar replied.  
'A minute is enough for someone to suffocate.'  
'Not helping.'

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

Just as the pale half-elf was starting to have trouble holding her breath, the sand underneath her disappeared. Yorda could feel her legs slowly emerge into what felt like air. That was promising. Yorda dove down, breaking through the sand and into a cavernous room.

That also happened to be forty feet below her. The moment her body emerged from the quicksand, she fell down. Yorda braced herself for impact - but the rope caught her. It hurt, too. The rope pulled taut, painfully digging into her stomach.  
'Gah!'

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

Above ground, the rope suddenly pulled taut. It took all of them by surprise. Including the camel. In order to give Yorda as much rope as possible, the beast had been standing close to the edge of the quicksand pit. A little too close. It got pulled into the pit.  
'Shit! Grab it!'  
Nala grabbed at the reigns, but missed. Her steed let out a high-pitched, panicked screech. The camel sunk in just as fast as Yorda, if not faster. Before any of them could blink, its legs had already disappeared.  
'What do we do?! What do we do?!' Telyn yelled, panicking as well. Next to her, Mialee grabbed hold of her swords.  
'We go in.'  
And she jumped after the camel. Echo followed suit not two heartbeats later, landing on the beast with a dull _thud_. The beast was sinking- and they were going down with it. Watching this, Nala grabbed a firm hold of her shield as well.  
'Damn it- fine! _Come on_!'

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

Back underneath the pit, Yorda had managed to break free from the rope's painful grasp. She fell down the last twenty feet, landing on the ground graciously. She was the only one in the room. Curiously, Yorda cast a quick glance around. It was a square room, with cracks running over the walls and through the floor. Four large pillars stood in the corners, also cracked. Parts of one of them had fallen away, lying at the base in a small pile of rubble. This place looked pretty old. There were depictions on those pillars, but they were too far away for her to see well at a glance.

She did not get the chance to do anything else. From the corner of her eyes, Yorda could see four hairy legs emerging from the quicksand. She reacted instantly. Yorda ducked down and rolled away at the same moment that the camel, Mialee and Echo fell through. And they did not have a rope to break their fall. They smacked down onto the floor. Hard.  
'Wha-?!'  
She didn't get to finish her sentence before the next person came falling in. Nala, in full armor and with her shield out, crashed down on top of them. Then Alatar fell on top of her. And finally Telyn. By then, Echo, Mialee and the poor camel were starting to resemble a flattened pancake. With a loud _poof_ , the camel vanished.  
'Owwww...'

What remained was a rather painful-looking humanoid tower. Yorda watched her companions, slack-jawed. She didn't understand. This wasn't part of the plan. It actually made her a little angry. Yorda could have gotten herself out, but not 5 other people. That was why she'd insisted on going alone.  
Yet here they were. Why did they come down here?

Especially Mialee and Echo looked roughed up by the whole ordeal. The Tiefling was only partially visible underneath the pile of people. She was upside down, too. Her gaze fell on Yorda, who was standing a little to the right, slack-jawed.  
'Oh. You're fine.'  
They slowly rolled off the pile, coughing the sand out of their lungs.  
'Why did you come down here?' Yorda frowned. The question was aimed at Echo, but it was Nala who answered instead.  
'The rope got pulled taut. I thought that something had grabbed you. The camel got pulled into the quicksand. We panicked.'  
'I did not,' Mialee protested.  
'Fine, everyone but Mialee panicked.'  
'I feel like I got a fucking boulder dropped on me,' Echo groaned from the ground. Mialee was in the same condition. The elf ranger stood up and stretched, her back cracking painfully. Yorda let out a sigh. She didn't know how to respond to this.

Idiots.

* * *

 **None**

* * *

The fall, combined with the exhaustion from the previous manticore fight, was enough to warrant a short rest. In the middle of whatever dungeon they had just entered. The group didn't have a choice. They positioned themselves out of sight from the hallway leading inward as much as possible, and hunkered down.  
It was... quiet. They could hear sounds from further into the lair, but they were not getting any closer. For now, they seemed safe.

Alatar and Mialee were sitting behind one of the pillars. The brown-haired elf looked up at the quicksand above them. It had gone completely still again, looking indistinguishable from a sandstone ceiling.  
'How do you think that sand's staying up there?'  
'Magic.'  
He was probably right. It was intriguing, though. Mialee watched as a single grain of sand fell down from above. Then another. The previously still sands once again began to move. It looked even weirder from down here.  
Then she realized what those shifting sands meant.  
'Everyone! Something's coming down!'

The group jumped to their feet, reaching for their weapons. From above, they could see something emerging from the quicksand. Two sets of furry clawed legs. More jackalweres. The group readied themselves for a surprise attack, when they saw that the monsters weren't alone. They'd dragged someone in with them.  
Caught in between their clawed hands, limp and unconscious, was the body of Eileen.

As soon as Alatar saw that, he snapped. A dark, terrifying expression flashed in his eyes. He didn't speak – but a volley of magic missiles shot out from every opening that his robes had and drilled themselves into the jackalweres. There were dozens. The creatures never stood a chance. Before they'd landed on the floor properly, they were already dead.

Nala and Echo both ran forward, arms outstretched. They managed to catch Eileen before her head hit the ground. They softly set her down. She didn't wake up. The elven woman was completely unresponsive.  
'What did they do to her?'  
Alatar ran up beside them, kneeling down next to his mother.  
'Mom. _Mom_. Wake up.'  
Very, very slowly, Eileen's eyelashes began to flutter open. The group let out a sigh of relief. With a groggy, confused expression, Alatar's mother looked up at them.  
'Where... where am I?'  
'That's what I'd like to know,' the wizard growled. The dark expression in his eyes hadn't vanished. He was looking genuinely terrifying.  
'What happened?'  
Eileen shakily sat up.  
'I... I don't know. I saw you all leave. I was worried for Allie. I must have walked too far from the village. There was a sound behind me, and... I don't remember what happened next. I was worried about you, Allie.'  
He nodded at her explanation, glancing over at Nala. The two made eye contact.  
'Someone's going to pay for this.'  
'We should get her out of here,' Nala muttered. 'This place isn't safe.'  
They all looked up at the quicksand ceiling. It was forty feet above them.  
'Yorda, you could get us out of here, right?'  
'No,' the pale half-elf replied. 'I said that I could get _myself_ out. If it was _just_ a quicksand pit. I can't carry Eileen out of a chamber like this yet.'  
That wasn't good. Mialee frowned, crossing her arms as she thought out loud.  
'The jackalweres wouldn't be able to get out from here, either. That means that there must be some other exit.'  
The wizard nodded at her logic. He cast another glance at Eileen, then took charge.  
'All right. We need to find that exit. Mother, stay close to me. I'll keep you safe.'  
'Don't worry about me, Allie,' Eileen replied softly. 'Just be careful, honey.'  
'I will... we will.'

And the group began their descent into the underground ruins. It was dark, but illuminated by wooden torches every few feet. The dancing flames cast long, eerie shadows across the corridors. It made all of them nervous.

At an intersection, Mialee suddenly put her hand out.  
'Wait.'  
She herded the group back into the shadows, just out of sight. Then snuck forward. There was something approaching from one of the other corridors. Mialee killed her breathing and readied her swords. She could hear footsteps approaching. 30 feet... 20 feet... 15 feet...

Then the figure stepped into the intersection and they could see what it was. It wasn't a jackal. In front of them walked a short, blonde-haired boy. He seemed to be in a hurry. A silver platter rested in his hands with something that looked like grapes on it. The boy was too focused on not dropping the platter to notice them. He turned a corner, vanishing down one of the other corridors.  
'There's humans down here?' Nala whispered, as soon as the boy was out of earshot. Mialee nodded slowly.  
'Maybe the kidnapped villagers are still alive.'

They continued, opting not to follow the boy. Instead the group slowly moved down the corridor the he came from. It wasn't in the direction of the sounds, either. Before too long, they came across another room. It looked a bit like a crude kitchen. A bowl with more fruit stood atop a wooden, dark-red stained table. The right corner of the room was occupied by a metal cage. It was partly rusted over.  
'That's not big enough to hold everyone they kidnapped,' Mialee observed. 'Maybe one or two, at most.'  
'Then where is the rest?'  
Everyone's gaze got pulled towards the table. Even from back near the entrance, the smell of blood was unmistakable. Alatar once again glanced over at his mother. His frown deepened.  
'Come on. Let's keep going.'

* * *

The group came across another band of jackalweres, which they disposed of quickly. It wasn't a very big ruin. Before too long, they found themselves back at the intersection, staring down the direction that the boy had vanished in.  
'Whatever else is left in this sandhole, it's in there,' Nala growled. The blood-stained table had been enough to bring her to a rage, as well. Emotions were starting to run high. Mialee seemed to realize that too. She made eye contact with Yorda. The two nodded.  
'We'll take a look at what's ahead. Watch our backs, and be ready to follow us in.'  
'Be careful,' Nala replied. They watched as Mialee and Yorda took point, following a little ways behind. It was a straight corridor from there on out. This particular hallway was bigger than the others, and the walls were lined with more of those strange columns. Ahead, they could see a large, imposing sandstone gate. Parts of it had crumbled a bit, but you could still see the symbols on it. Mialee and Yorda snuck up as quietly as they could. They flanked the doorway, each taking a side for cover. Then they nodded at each other- and glanced in.

Yorda could see a beautiful room, carefully cleaned compared to the rest of the ruin. Four large pillars held up the ceiling. On the left side of the room, the pale half-elf could see another cage. It was locked, and crammed to the limit with people. All of them were beautiful, or handsome. All of them were in various states of malnourishment. All of them stood eerily silent, not responding to Yorda and Mialee in the slightest.

The other side of the room was much more interesting. A dusty carpet led up a low set of stairs, elevating the back compared to the front. It looked like a beautiful throne room. And it might as well have been. Against the very back wall of the room, elevated from the ground by a large, stone platform, stood a very ornate golden throne.

It was occupied, too. Yorda's gaze fell on a single human woman. She was hauntingly beautiful. Shiny, waist-length black hair framed a tanned, elegant face with almond-shaped eyes the colour of emeralds. She radiated a sense of power, that was further enhanced by the expensive-looking jewelry around her neck and fingers. The woman was lounging in her throne, inches away from lying down. To her left and right stood two servants. They seemed to be fanning her.  
The same blonde-haired boy from before was there, as well. On second glance, it wasn't a young boy at all. It was a handsome-looking gnome. He stood in a perpetual bow, holding up the plate of grapes for her to eat.

The woman lazily looked around the room, stopping on Yorda's face peeking around the corner. As the two made eye contact, a look of mild surprise appeared on her face. Just for a millisecond. Then that expression vanished.  
'Well, well. I was not made aware that we have visitors.'  
She didn't seem to have noticed Mialee. Fascinated, the pale half-elf stared at the scene in front of her. A smile spread on her face, as well.  
'Can I come in?'  
'Of course, darling.'

Her eyes gleaming with curiosity, Yorda walked out of her spot behind the door and into the room. She completely ignored the humans in the cages behind her. Her gaze was locked on the jewelry-adorned woman. With a look of uncloaked fascination, Yorda tilted her head.  
'What kind of greeting would be polite here?'  
The black-haired woman raised a single eyebrow. She plucked a grape from the tray, lazily separating it from the rest as she answered:  
'A bow, darling.'

The pale glowing half-elf bowed, in the way that she'd seen Echo do many times. It was a bit clumsy. The woman nodded at the greeting with a calculating smile.  
'My, but you're a fetching creature, aren't you? What is someone like you doing all the way out here?'  
'I wanted to see what was at the bottom of the sand pit,' Yorda shrugged. She seemed to be in a great mood. The pale half-elf took a couple of steps towards the throne. The servants to the left and right of the woman immediately took on a threatening stance – but their master gave a single wave to make them stand down. Yorda nodded, her smile widening.  
'I'm sorry if this is impolite, but I don't know your culture – but can you change into one of those magnificent beasts, too?'  
'"Magnificent beasts"? Do you mean the manticores?'  
The woman let out a chuckle.  
'No, darling. Those are merely my guard dogs.'

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, the rest of the group had gathered closely behind Mialee. They couldn't hear much of what was going on inside. But they could hear just enough.  
'Is she having a goddamn conversation in there?' Alatar growled.  
'Sounds like it.'  
' _Why?'  
_ Mialee and Echo just shrugged. They were used to Yorda's weird antics. The brown-haired elf grabbed hold of her bow, inhaled, and dashed out into the room as well.  
'I see that there are more of you,' the woman said, a an expression of mild surprise in her eyes. 'This is proving to be a very unusual day.'

She looked like she expected Mialee to bow before her, as well. But the ranger was having none of it. She pointed to the people in the cell behind her.  
'Are they here of their own volition?'  
'Why, of course they are. You can ask them if you like. Darlings, are you here of your own volition, as the elf so crudely put it?'

All of them smiled, and nodded. At the same time. Completely in synch, down to the exact movement of their heads. It looked incredibly unnatural. Yorda did not seem to notice it – her gaze was still locked on the scene in front of her. But Mialee did. She growled.  
'Don't try to fool me, monster. I can see right through your magic tricks.'  
A brief expression of annoyance flashed across her face. The woman turned to Yorda, ignoring the ranger's accusations.  
'Darling, please keep your companion under control. She is being incredibly rude.'  
Yorda and Mialee cast each other a sideways glance. Or more specifically, Mialee shot Yorda a don't-you-dare glare, and Yorda chose to ignore it.  
'What's your name?'  
The woman clicked her tongue in disapproval, bringing the grape closer to her mouth. Her jewelry gleamed in the dim torchlight.  
'When asking someone's name, it is only polite to introduce yourself first, is it not?'  
'Oh, right! I'm sorry. My name is Yorda.'

Her grin widened. The woman on the throne took a bite of the grape, tearing the little fruit in half. The next moment, her eyes began to glow a dull yellow. A faint magical aura sprung from her form and moved to Yorda, whose eyes suddenly glowed as well. The next second, that glow vanished. The pale half-elf giggled, wrapping her arms around herself.  
'That tickles.'  
The woman in front of her seemed genuinely surprised for a second.  
'Hmmm. Interesting.'

She waved her servants away, who moved towards the back wall with another deep bow. The platter was placed on the pedestal next to her throne. It went ignored. The black-haired woman finally sat up straight, looking down on the half-elf with renewed interest.  
'My name is Arceen. It is a pleasure to meet you, little one.'  
'Nice to meet you too. Does that mean that I can call the rest in?'  
'…The rest?'

Alatar and Echo chose that moment to join the two of them in the sandy throne room. The wizard's jaw clenched as he glanced at the people locked in the cell. For a moment, Alatar very closely resembled Mialee when she looked at orcs. Arceen did not seem to care about him, though. Her eyes trailed up and down Echo's body with a judging stare, before she broke into another smile.  
'And you're a pretty one, as well. Quite exotic.'  
'Why, thank you,' Echo replied, making an elegant reverence in a way that was much more practiced than Yorda's bow had been. However, it was completely overshadowed by Alatar. The wizard turned around, looking at Arceen with such an expression of hatred on his face that it would have scared any ordinary person.  
'Enough. We'll be taking these people back with us, harlot. Now stop talking.'

The same expression of annoyance appeared in her eyes again. Arceen chose to ignore the wizard, turning to Yorda instead. She leaned forward on her throne, extending a well-manicured hand towards the half-elf.  
'Would you like to serve me, little one?'  
With an unsure expression, Yorda threw a sideways glance to the Tiefling next to her.  
'Echo, what does "serve" mean?'  
'It means to do whatever someone else wants you to do, whenever they want you to do it.'  
'Oh. That sounds a bit restrictive.'  
'None of us are going to serve you,' Mialee growled. She reached for her bow, nodding at the people in the cells. They were still smiling those unnatural smiles.  
'And neither are they. They'll be free again.'  
'Now, why would you say that?' Arceen replied, turning towards her with an eerie expression. 'All of my subjects are much happier now. They _are_ free. Free from their previous miserable lives, that is. Free to serve _me_. As will be the case for that little one.'  
A crackle sounded. Alatar had begun to mumble under his breath, summoning a pale blue arcane energy around his sleeved arms. With rage in his eyes, the wizard glared at the woman in front of them.  
'You have six seconds to prepare yourself, wench.'

Heavy footsteps sounded to their right. Nala had decided to join them in the room, as well, followed closely by Telyn. The paladin seemed to be at her limit, too. Smoke was trailing up from her right nostril. With her longsword already drawn, the Dragonborn pointed at Arceen.  
'Enough. We are taking these people back to their homes.'  
Finally, the smile vanished from Arceen's lips. With a cold stare, she looked down on the paladin in front of her.  
'No. I will not allow it. They are mine to do with as I please. All of them.'  
Her gaze trailed towards the doorway, where Eileen stood. Arceen grinned.  
'Including that one.'

And Alatar snapped.

From his outstretched hands, a volley of magic missiles shot out at Arceen. They honed in on her with a deadly accuracy, piercing her once, twice, three, four, five times. It was brutal. Arceen never stood a chance. The woman was flung back against her golden throne, nearly making the thing topple over. She slumped down, her eyes rolling back in her head. It wasn't graceful.

It also wasn't her. The group watched as Arceen's lifeless body shifted, her form fading away. In her place lay a young human woman with brown hair. She was dressed in rags and very malnourished, just like the other people in the cells. A decoy, under an illusion. Alatar realized it first. He cursed loudly, beginning to chant another spell.

He never got the chance to cast it. From behind the far wall, the group could suddenly hear a booming roar.  
'YOU INSOLENT CUR!'

The far wall suddenly vanished. It had been an illusion, hiding another good ten feet of room from anyone that entered. From that hidden space, the woman named Arceen appeared a second time. Her face was contorted into a dark, angry mask. As she lunged at Alatar, her body began to change. Her lower body transformed, growing in size and changing into the body of a lioness. It was a wondrous and terrible sight at the same time.

The group never had time to react to it. Arceen dug into Alatar's body with her front paws, sending him sprawling backwards. Only his Mage Armor kept him from being torn to shreds right then and there. It pissed her off, too. Arceens eyes once again began to glow an eerie yellow. She turned to the group, now towering over them, and growled:  
'You will regret that.'

And the battle began.

As soon as the lamia had uttered those words, her body split into three mirror images of herself. It was impossible to tell which was the real one. Mialee and Echo each took a shot at one. But Arceen was remarkably agile, and dodged both of them.

Then her bodyguards acted. The two humans dropped their fans and ran towards the nearest enemy- Mialee and Nala. They didn't have any weapons. So the men tried to grab them, instead. One wrapped his arms around Mialee, keeping her from drawing her swords.  
'Get- _off!'  
_ The ranger buried her elbow in his gut, making him gasp for air. He was forced to let go. Mialee immediately made use of that by dashing towards the nearest lamia. She pounced – and fell right through the illusion.  
'Damn it!'  
'Keep trying!' Nala yelled. Her own assailant was having a hard time wrapping his arms around her massive platemail torso. She batted him away like you would swat at a fly. A few feet away, Alatar once again prepared a spell to cast. And was intercepted. Arceen slammed into him at full speed, knocking him over and ripping his robes open.  
 _'Alatar!'  
_ 'That one! Aim for that one!'  
The brown-haired elf hurled her shortsword at the lamia. Which was also an illusion. Her blade clattered to the ground, harmless. Mialee let out a stream of elvish curses as she lunged for her weapon.

On the other side of the room, Echo had taken aim at what she thought was the real Arceen. She mumbled a short incantation under her breath-  
And was knocked aside by the gnome, who had gone for a full body-tackle. But because he was only half of Echo's size, the Tiefling didn't fall down. The blonde-haired gnome snarled.  
Yorda was next to Echo in a split second. She reached for the gnome- and Echo watched as he was heavily mauled by her claws, batting him away from her. He staggered backwards. A well-timed web from the Spider staff was enough to pin him to the ground.  
Echo gave Yorda a single pat on the head as they looked down on him.  
'Thanks.'  
'Yeah.'  
They turned to join the rest of the battle.

And the rest of the battle was not going well. Arceen had once again split her body up into mirror images, and was tearing into both Alatar and Mialee. The healing magic from Telyn was the only thing still keeping him up.  
The lamia realized that, too. She switched targets. She went for the bard.

And was spectacularly hit in the gut by Nala's shield. It was a very nasty blow. Arceen gasped, all of the air having been forced out of her lungs.  
'This one! This is the real one!'

And everyone began raining strikes on her. The lamia was assaulted with divine smites, eldritch blasts, bardic mockeries and sword strikes. The sheer force of it was incredible. It was more than she could handle. Arceen spun around and bolted away, to the other side of the room. She was hounded by attacks all the way there. The lamia reached Yorda, who turned to face her as she dashed past.  
'You should consider surrendering.'

Arceen opened her mouth to answer – but Nala, Mialee and Alatar were having none of it. As they chased her down, the gold-skinned paladin grabbed hold of her holy symbol. She began to glow, and for a moment, the paladin looked truly radiant. Then that moment passed, and she growled:  
'You messed with the wrong people, bitch.'

A brilliant light enveloped the Dragonborn's holy symbol. It rapidly grew bigger, and bigger, until it was enough to nearly blind everyone in the room. Then Nala pointed, and the energy blasted off towards Arceen. Ghostly white flames enveloped the lamia as the moonbeam wrapped around her body. Within moments, she was completely out of sight. The group could hear a blood-curdling scream erupt from the burning figure.

Then it stopped. The figure slumped over, unmoving. She crashed to the ground. The flames flickered and vanished. What was left was the smouldering and blackened corpse of the Lamia. Unmoving.

They didn't have to check for a pulse.

Acreen was dead.

They had won.

* * *

 _I really liked that lamia, too. Such a shame. xD_


	35. Chapter 4,1 - Home's where the Desert is

**Chapter 4 – Northward to Tymanther**

 _Hey guys! Been a while. Been a while between sessions, too. Life keeps getting in the way of us meeting. Never mind playstyles or resources or Challenge Ratings or possible TPK's - our greatest enemy is scheduling a damn day to play. XD_

 _Anyway. There was a little misunderstanding between me and a player/DM - Mialee doesn't actually have a magical bow. My bad - don't let it confuse you._

 _With that out of the way! I hope you enjoy the latest chapter. Comments are appreciated! (I love hearing from you guys)_

* * *

 **4.1 - Home is where the desert is, part 2**

With Arceen's death, the spell on her kidnapped servants was lifted. Yorda picked up the lamia's silver and ruby necklace from the ground, looking slightly disappointed. The group freed the kidnapped people from their cages. They healed those who were in bad shape and shared their food with them. Telyn played music, being significantly distracted by all of the handsome, half-naked men around her.

Not all was a happy ending, though. The woman that Arceen had used as a decoy turned out to be Martha, one of the kidnapped villagers. The rest of the villagers quickly learned of her demise. They mourned for their dead friend. The group respected their privacy and gave them space.

During which time, Echo, Mialee and Yorda stumbled upon a hidden chamber behind the kitchen cage. It was filled with treasure, including five items on pedestals. An ornate helmet with a golden finish, a set of owl-like goggles that gave darkvision, a silver ring with a ruby in it, a sealed flask and two brown, smooth stones. They took the items and returned to join the others. By then, Nala had found the exit.

It was time for the long walk back home. Now, with 18 people in tow.

* * *

As the group made their way back through the desert, Nala took a moment to pull Yorda aside. It was another blindingly clear day, and Nala's scales reflected the harsh sunlight. The half-elf looked up at her, squinting her eyes a little.  
'Hello.'  
Nala's gaze was serious. She frowned at Yorda, remembering the previous fight.  
'You lost control again.'  
'...what?'  
'Down there. During the lamia fight. You lost control again. That's the third time, now.'  
A brief look of confusion spread on Yorda's face.  
'I don't understand what you mean.'  
'The first time was in that goblin cave. I don't know how I managed to calm you down, and I don't want to think about what would have happened if I hadn't. The second time was in that mimic. Yorda, that was the only time that I was genuinely scared of you. And the third time was just now. I saw you mauling that gnome. It's a miracle he made it out alive. Yorda, if you keep losing control like that, you'll turn into a danger to the group.'  
A short silence fell between the two of them. Nala looked down on her, her gaze hard and serious. Yorda still didn't seem to understand. Her head was cocked to the side, like an owl's. Then she realized what Nala was talking about. The confusion vanished. But instead of remorse, or worry, a smile spread across her lips.  
'Oh, no. That was intended.'  
It was Nala's turn to be caught off-guard. She blinked a couple of times, unsure if she had heard her wrong. But Yorda didn't take back her words.  
'That... what?'  
The Dragonborn strained her mind to find logic in the words. And failed.

The next moment, both of their attention was drawn to their right.  
'What the fuck?!'  
The voice's origin was Mialee. She had been walking a little ways off from the group of people, fiddling with something. Her cheeks were red. They approached her to see her pulling on the silver and ruby ring. The one that they'd found in the lamia's lair.  
'It won't come off!'  
'What do you mean, it won't come off?' Nala said, raising an eyebrow at her.  
'I mean it won't come off my finger!'

It was true. No matter how hard she pulled, and twisted, and wiggled, the piece of metal around her ring finger wouldn't budge. That wasn't good. With a worried frown, Nala gestured for Mialee to give her her hand.  
'Let me try.'  
But Nala couldn't get it off, either. The ring wasn't moving. Not even with multiple people pulling at the same time. By now, Mialee's red blush had faded. She was starting to look a little pale. Paler than normal.  
That definitely wasn't good.  
'Mialee? Are you all right?'  
'I don't feel right,' the brown-haired elf mumbled. It was unbearably hot, but they could see the hairs in her neck slowly rise up. The group shared another worried glance.  
'Yorda? Telyn? Is there something you can do about this?'  
'I have no idea what this is,' the half-elf replied, shaking her head. Telyn seemed just as clueless. At that moment, there wasn't anything else they could do.

That ring was stuck.

* * *

The group made it back to Kubaasana in one piece. Out of respect, the villagers had brought Martha's body on a makeshift stretcher. As they were preparing the funeral ceremony, Alatar approached his mother. He was mumbling, so she couldn't understand what he was saying at first.  
'I killed her.'  
'What?'  
'I killed Martha,' Alatar said again, a little louder this time. A guilty look played on his face. As soon as Eileen could make out the worlds, she shook her head.  
'No, Allie. It wasn't you. It was that... that horrible monster. You saved all of us. You saw how many people were already down there. If not for you and your friends, this village would probably no longer exist in a couple of weeks. Thank you, Allie.'

They turned towards the pyre of wood that the villagers had built up. Eileen gently placed her arm around his shoulder.  
'Would you like to say a few words? I would mean a lot to everyone.'  
The wizard remained silent for a few moments, before giving a single nod.

* * *

That evening, while everyone was getting ready to sleep, Mialee bumped into Yorda. She seemed to have been looking for her. The elven ranger still wasn't looking too good. Yorda ran up to her, holding out the stones that they'd found in the lair.  
'Mia! I figured out what they are!'  
'Oh?'  
'They're sending stones! You can talk to the person who has the other one. Once per day, I think. You should have them. Give one to your bird and have him deliver it to Daran. Or Estana. Or your brother. I can imagine how much you must want to be able to talk to him. Here.'  
And she made to hand them over. But Mialee shook her head, not accepting.  
'No.'  
'Why not?'  
'I don't know exactly where he is. And even if I did... we can use this on our travels. I shouldn't claim them for myself.'  
Yorda's expression fell.  
'Oh. Okay.'

A short silence fell between the two. Mialee looked up at the evening sky, apparently done with the conversation. Her partner didn't think so.  
'Here. Just take one, then.'  
She placed one of the stones in Mialee's hand. It felt cool to touch, but in a pleasant way. A tiny smile flashed by as Mialee nodded.  
'Thank you.'

The elven ranger looked up at the sky again. It had been a number of days since she'd sent Erolith away with a message. He still hadn't returned. There was no sign of a bird on the horizon. After a few moments of searching, Mialee tore her gaze away from the moon and back in front of her. Yorda was still there, watching her.  
'I know that look. What is it?'  
The half-elf shrugged as she fiddled with her newly repaired dress.  
'I was wondering... what's it like to be chosen by a tree? Does it talk to you? Did it give you a test?'  
'A tree?' the elven ranger replied, surprised. Yorda nodded at her in the evening light.  
'You talked about it before. With Estana.'

Then it registered. Yorda was talking about their connection to the elven soul trees. The link to their ancestors. Mialee and Estana had talked to the group about them before, right after defeating the group of orcs.  
'You speak of the Círamdhir.'  
Yorda nodded, expecting the ranger to continue. But the soul trees were not a happy topic. Mialee sighed, breaking eye contact with Yorda and looking down at the ground.  
'I wasn't chosen.'  
'...What?'  
'I wasn't chosen,' Mialee repeated in a soft voice. 'The Aeleas Si Illuvia never chose me. It chose my brother. I participated in the ritual... but I wasn't good enough.'

By now, most of the people of Kubasaana had retired to their homes, and their reunited families. The rest of the group was helping Eileen out with dinner. Mialee and Yorda were the only ones still outside. They moved to the edge of the village. As soon as they were out of everyone's earshot, Yorda continued the conversation.  
'What happened?'  
The elven ranger let out a tired sigh.  
'In order for a young elf to be chosen by the Aeleas Si Illuvia – the Elder Tree - they must choose to partake in a sacred ritual. Your clan chooses a mark, and you are to defeat it by yourself. If you survive, you carry the creature to the Aeleas Si Iluvia as an offering. As proof of your willpower and dedication. If it accepts your offering... the soul tree gives you one of its branches.'  
Yorda listened to the elf silently. When she stopped speaking, the pale half-elf frowned.  
'...if you survive?'  
'The hunt is dangerous. It is very much a trial. It's the moment to show your clan everything that you've learned, and the result of all of your training.'  
Mialee looked back at the ground, a far-away look appearing in her green eyes.  
'My mark was a giant poisonous snake. I was to take it down by myself. It was the most important trial to take. And I... I failed. I couldn't defeat it on my own. My brother, Beiro... he saved my life. If he hadn't followed me and stepped in, the snake would have killed me.'  
'He killed it instead,' Yorda said, immediately understanding. Mialee gave a small nod.  
'He did. He jumped in between me and the snake just as it was about to bite me to death. He defeated it in my stead. He took it with him. As a second offering to the Aeleas Si Illuvia. It chose him. He completed the ritual and became Illuvia Thys. Beiro did. Not me.'

And Mialee fell silent. It was a heavy silence. The elven ranger looked up at the darkening sky, her gaze a thousand miles away from Kubasaana. She might as well have been. For a moment, it looked like Mialee was about to vanish into thin air.  
'I thought they were all dead,' she mumbled eventually. 'It's still... hard to process that they're alive. Even after seeing Estana. That was only a few days ago, and it already feels like a dream. Like it didn't happen.'  
'It did happen,' Yorda replied, in a broken and clumsy Elvish. 'She was real. I checked.'  
The ranger let out a chuckle. Her fingers ran past the fabric of the cloak that Estana had given her.  
'...yeah.'  
'Do you think you could do the ritual again? If we find you another Círamdhir?'  
She shook her head at Yorda.  
'I don't know if there are any left. Or where they would be. Where to even start looking. Pelor, I don't even know where to begin.'

She let out a deep, tired sigh. The past few weeks hadn't been easy on her. Yorda knew that, too. The small half-elf reached out and touched the back of her hand, in the same way that she'd done back in Cragmaw castle. It had the same effect as last time, too.  
'You have help... if you want it. You know that.'  
'Yeah… I know.'  
'We don't know the future,' Yorda smiled. She looked up at the sky with Mialee.  
'You never know what is out there until you find it. We just have to find a soul tree to prove that they still exist. But even if we don't find one… that still doesn't mean that they're all gone. This world is pretty big, too, from what I've seen so far.'  
The elven ranger smiled faintly, nodding to her.  
'…Yeah.'

* * *

At dawn, enough time had passed for the ring's full magical effect to become known. It was a cursed ring – while it provided the wearer with a magical resistance against fire, it took away three times as much as it gave. Until the party found a way to get rid of it, Mialee would be magically vulnerable to ice, thunder **and** lightning, paired with a constant feeling of dread in the back of her mind.

It was not a happy morning.

* * *

As soon as everyone had finished breakfast, the group once again set out into the desert. Alatar had asked for a second detour – the tower of his master was on the way to Nala's village, and he felt obliged to pay them a visit. The rest of the group eagerly agreed to that. They had never seen the inside of a mage tower before – not counting the building in the forest, which had been ruined. According to Alatar, there was someone there who could probably break the ring's curse on Mialee. That was even more reason to go. Eileen sent them off with another hug, and a teary goodbye.

After that, they were off.

Of course – the trip through the desert that day was not without its own shenanigans. Alatar had claimed the flask that was found in the Lamia's lair. Thinking to examine the insides, he popped it open – and freed a blue-skinned genie with a turban, a Djinni, from his prison. His name was Sarasshan, and he turned out to be a very flamboyant jokester. Him, Mialee and Echo immediately hit it off. Sarasshan wasn't capable of fulfilling wishes – but he was a capable magic user, and in a good mood after having been freed. In return for the party helping him, he promised to aid them in battle, once, if they needed it.

Healso did not return to his flask. From that moment onward, the group had a blue-skinned genie with a turban floating along with them, following them around.

* * *

At the first signs of twilight, the group reached the Spire of Ba'aal. It was a massive tower, much bigger than most of them had thought possible. It rose up from the golden desert sands like a giant, dark needle. The group could see something sticking out at the top, but it was so far above them that they couldn't make out what it was. They weren't even close to the thing yet – but everything about that structure screamed _magic_.  
'You lived in a place like that?' Echo asked Alatar, who had slowly moved to the back of the group. The half-elf wizard seemed nervous. He was fiddling with his robes, adjusting the collar and trying to smooth out the wrinkles in his sleeves. They had never seen him act like that before. It made everyone curious – and a little bit on edge.

As they descended a sand dune to get closer, a voice suddenly rang out in all of their heads. Mialee, Telyn and Yorda let out surprised yelps.

 _ **"Welcome to the Spire of Ba'aal. For those of you who do not have business at the tower, please stay clear of the barrier-"**_

'What barrie-'  
Mialee hadn't even gotten halfway her sentence when she smacked face-first into an invisible wall. A jolt of something that looked like lightning shot out from above, slamming into her body. Hard.  
'OWWWW!'

 _ **"-As electrocution hurts. For those who do have business at the tower, please present your Ring of Passage. We wish you all a very pleasant day."**_

The electricity stopped, and Mialee fell backwards into the sand. Her hair was frazzled and sticking out from the shock.  
'...ow.'  
'Alatar!' Nala said angrily. 'Why didn't you warn us?!'  
'Last time the barrier wasn't this wide,' Alatar replied, with a sheepish look on his face. 'I thought we had another few feet.'  
They helped Mialee back up, Nala healing her wounds with Lay on Hands. Then they turned to Alatar.  
'What ring of passage? What's it talking about?'

In response, Alatar dug around in his pockets for a moment. He pulled out a beautiful ring with a very intricate design on the top. They'd never seen that particular trinket before. Judging from the time it took him to get it, it had been hidden away quite deeply.  
'You show this, and the barrier will open,' the wizard explained. 'All of the apprentices receive one. When they get permission to leave, that is.'

He took a step towards the tower, then seemed to change his mind. With an unusually serious expression, Alatar turned back towards the group.  
'This is a very exclusive organisation. Strangers aren't normally let in. It's an honour that you're being allowed to see the inside. Understand?'  
'It definitely looks fancier than the one in the woods,' Echo grinned. He shot her an annoyed look.  
'Of course it does. This isn't some random magician's hobby tower. The magical research performed in the Spire of Ba'aal is groundbreaking. So _be respectful.'  
_ He glared at Echo and Mialee as he said that.  
'There will be no _shenanigans_. You will not show disrespect. You will not barge in where you're not allowed to go. You will not break or touch _anything_ that the other apprentices are working on. You will always address the master with _Archmagus_. And you will _**not cause any trouble**_. Do I make myself clear?'  
'Why are you looking at us?' Echo smirked. 'We _never_ cause any trouble.'

She shared a look with Mialee, who had the same gleam in her eyes as Echo. Nala picked up on it, groaned and facepalmed. She felt sorry for Alatar already. The wizard noticed their shared look, too. He rolled his eyes in annoyance.  
'Don't come crying to me when they polymorph you into a chicken. Let's go, everyone.'

Alatar turned away from the group, and held up his arm. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the top of his signet ring began to glow. The group could hear a soft, barely audible tone resonate with the barrier in front of them. As they watched, a glowing thread apparated from the ground, trailing upwards. It formed a perfectly door-shaped... shape. Upon closer look, the area inside the glowing shape looked a little clearer than the rest.  
'Pass through there,' Alatar instructed the group. 'The barrier won't hurt you.'

They did, carefully passing underneath the glowing archway. They didn't get zapped this time. As soon as the last person had stepped through, the golden archway vanished. The barrier closed behind them once again.  
'It's cooler here,' Telyn noted, looking around curiously. She was right. While the other side of the barrier had been as hot as you could expect from a desert, this side was pleasantly cool. Almost as if the sun burning above their heads didn't exist.

With Alatar in the lead, the group began to move in the direction of the Tower. Back behind the barrier, it had still looked very far away – but the group found themselves reaching the structure much faster than was logical for their walking speed. Alatar encouraged them not to think about it.

Before long, they reached the front doors. They were massive, with a giant rune-covered arch flanking the woodwork. It looked very, very imposing.

It was also flanked by two women. Twins, judging from their faces, which were almost identical. Two pairs of dark eyes framed by the exact same shade of black hair gazed in their direction. They both had a mole on their cheek, but on opposite ends, like a mirror. That was also where the similarities ended. While one twin looked very proper, impeccably dressed without so much as a wrinkle in her robe and not one hair out of place, her sister looked a lot wilder and more carefree. That one spotted Alatar first, and took the lead.  
'Why, look what the sands brought in. Alatar! We haven't seen you in months!'  
'Senga,' the wizard nodded at her. 'I see you haven't changed.'  
'What's that supposed to mean?'  
'Exactly what it sounds like.'  
The woman named Senga scoffed at him. Her sister immediately made use of that to take over the conversation.  
'It's good to see you in one piece. Capricornicus let us know you were coming. He mentioned something about a stoner?'  
'It was nothing,' Alatar grumbled, with clenched teeth. 'As you can see, nothing I couldn't handle. Is the master home, Agnes?'  
She nodded at him, a small smirk on her face at his discomfort.  
'He should be. You know where to find him. I'm assuming you don't need an escort?'  
The two of them glanced over at the people gathered behind him. Both of them raised a single eyebrow at the same time- Agnes with mild disapproval, and Senga with a little smirk. Alatar shook his head at them.  
'No, thank you. They've been warned not to wander off.'  
'If you say so.'

The robed twins raised their arms, reaching for the imposing front door at the same time. They placed their palms on the woodwork, muttered a single word – and the group watched as the rune-covered arch began to glow. With a heavy sound, the double doors swung open. They were so big that Mialee and Alatar actually had to take a step back to let them pass.  
'Enjoy,' Senga winked at Mialee, as the group walked in.

They were not prepared for what they saw.

The first thing that they noticed was that this tower was bigger on the inside. The second thing was that it was absolutely _filled_ with magic. A soft carpet stretched out into a magnificent hallway, with two archways on either side of the room leading to a giant, round staircase that spiraled upwards. Even though it was a round tower, the group could see connecting hallways. Other staircases rose further upwards into the tower, seemingly leading everywhere. A giant, crystal chandelier drifted in the air above them, chainless.  
'Wow.'  
'You were right,' Nala said, impressed. 'This isn't like that tower in the forest at all.'  
'Told you so,' Alatar replied. Next to him, Telyn was looking up the tower, mesmerized.  
'I can't see the top. It just goes on forever...'  
She almost fell over from watching. Alatar chuckled. He moved towards a bookcase-like shelf next to the door. There were bundles of differently coloured clothes on them. He grabbed one, letting it unfold. It was a simple, all-purpose mage robe.  
'Put these on.'  
'What, over my armor?' Nala replied, raising her eyebrows. 'I don't think that will end well.'  
'They'll fit. Don't worry.'  
Echo and Yorda shot each other a glance, then shrugged. They did as they were asked. And Alatar proved to be right. The robes magically changed to fit the size of the wearer- even over Nala's heavy armor. The group took their pick of colours before finally turning to follow their guide.

Alatar began to lead them up those spiraling stairs. It was a long climb... but strangely the group did not find themselves getting exhausted. After a few minutes of ascending the tower, glancing down connected corridors (with Alatar once again glaring at Echo and Mialee) and getting distracted by paintings of sunbathing deer wearing bathrobes (called Capri-sun), the group reached a door that was more elegant than the other doors so far. There was a certain... mood surrounding that door. Or maybe it was just Alatar. The wizard once again tried to straighten out his robes, deliberately standing more upright than they were used of him. He reached for the door and gave a short, polite knock.  
A momentary silence fell... and then the door creaked open.  
'Ah. Alatar. Took you long enough.'  
It wasn't his master. It wasn't even a humanoid. But they should have probably expected this.  
It was Capricornicus. The deer was once again standing on his hind legs, front hooves crossed, wearing a very high-class looking mage robe over his body. The magical familiar glanced past Alatar to see the rest of the group.  
'I see you've brought the entire repertoire. _Wonderful_.'  
His snarkiness was ever-present, too. Alatar ignored it, trying to look into the room.  
'Is the Archmagus there?'  
'The Master is currently resting,' Capricornicus answered. 'He is not to be disturbed until further notice.'  
'He'll want to know that I'm here,' Alatar frowned. 'Let him know, would you?'  
'Of course! When he wakes up. Which will probably be in several hours. Maybe a day or so. Is there anything else that your group needs before you leave?'  
He was doing this on purpose. That much was painfully obvious, even to the rest of the group. Luckily, Alatar did not have to formulate a reply. Just as Capricornicus moved to close the door in their faces, a male voice rang out from behind them.  
'Let them through, please, Capricornicus.'  
The deer's demeanor immediately changed. Drastically. He bowed deeply, almost hitting Mialee in the face with his horns.  
'Of course, master.'

And the familiar stepped away from the door. It gave the group a line of sight into what looked like a very elegant office, dominated by shades of blue and green. Alatar inhaled, raised his chin and stepped inside. The rest followed.

They stepped into the Archmagus's room... and came face-to-face with a tall elven man. He was dressed in a high-quality blue robe, with long sleeves and simple gold lines as decorations. His eyes were a deep green, with flecks of gold that reflected the room's light. A few wrinkles could be seen around his eyes and mouth. Elves generally did not show any signs of aging until they were approaching half a millennium in years.  
That meant that this person was very, very old. And probably very, very powerful. Nevertheless, a gentle smile spread on his face as the elf saw who was entering.  
'Alatar. It is a pleasure to see you again.'  
'The pleasure is mine,' Alatar replied with a bow, further surprising the group. They were definitely not used to this kind of behaviour. But it wasn't just Alatar. Even Capricornicus, who they had gotten used to being incredibly rude and condescending to everyone, showed great respect to this person.

As the rest of the group was herded into the room, Alatar moved between his master and his companions.  
'Everyone, this is Archmagus Adoriil Pegasus. You will address him as we discussed.'  
'Welcome to the Spire of Ba'aal,' the Archmagus said with a smile. 'And I know my apprentice. He can be a tad formal. Please- you may call me Pegasus, if you wish.'  
As he said that, Alatar threw all of them a heavy stare. They all caught it – but Echo chose to ignore him, a wide grin spreading on her face, as well.  
'Pegasus it is, then! Nice to meet you.'  
If looks could kill, the Tiefling would have been dead on the floor. Instead Alatar let out a sigh.  
'Archmagus, these are the... people I'm currently traveling with. Forgive their rudeness. They do not know better.'

Pegasus nodded, gesturing for the seats around his desk. There were enough to accommodate all of them. Including Sarasshan. It was a very big desk. Both Yorda and Mialee noticed Pegasus's body language as he gestured. He didn't do it with the arm closest to the seats. He gestured with his right arm, instead. Upon closer look, they could not see his left arm at all. There were very faint bags under his eyes, and he looked a little... pale?  
'Please, sit. You must be weary from traveling. Capricornicus, could you see to it that our guests are given some refreshments?'  
The deer did not like that at all. But he merely bowed, moving out of the room immediately. As he did so, Alatar rubbed salt in the wound with:  
'With ice for me, if you don't mind.'  
Capricornicus shot Alatar a dirty glare before walking out. Nala saw it, too. The dragonborn and Alatar, who had both been the target of his condescending tone before, shared a knowing smirk with each other.  
Served him right.

* * *

After being brought drinks, Pegasus and Alatar wasted no time in catching up with each other. The half-elf wizard explained about his accidental arrest back in Neverwinter, and his journey with the group afterwards. About everything happening in and around Phandalin. About the orcs, Nala's worries for her village, and their current destination. When Alatar arrived at the Lamia fight and Mialee's cursed ring, Pegasus piped up.  
'A curse, you say?'  
'Most likely,' Alatar nodded. 'I am not well-versed in curses, but I cannot imagine it to be anything else. She can't take it off, either.'  
The Archmage turned to Mialee, and gestured for her to show her hand. The ranger did so reluctantly. Pegasus inspected the ring for a while. He mumbled a short incantation. Nothing happened, leading to the Archmage giving a knowing nod.  
'Your instincts are correct. This is indeed a curse.'

He moved over to a corner of his desk, reaching for a folded-up scroll. With a steady hand, Pegasus swiftly wrote something down on it. Then he gave a short wave, and the scroll vanished into thin air. The group watched this curiously. Minus Alatar, who seemed to know exactly what was going on.

A short while later, the door to Pegasus's office opened again. Scuffling in was a creature that most of the group had never seen before. A giant turtle, moving on two legs like Capricornicus and with its own mage robe, form-fitted around the shell. A tortle. And from the looks of it, a rather old one.  
'You... … … called... … … for... me?'  
'Forgive me,' Pegasus smiled at him. 'It appears that one of our guests has been inflicted with a curse. I believe that is your specialty.'  
The tortle nodded at him. Slowly.  
Very slowly.  
'That... ... ... it... … is.'

His speech seemed to be as slow as his movement. It took the mage an eternity to walk over to the Archmage's desk, and even longer to face the person that was cursed. Eventually, though, he'd gotten hold of Mialee's hand. The tortle began to chant, in a monotone voice that somehow managed to sound very bland and very powerful at the same time. The group looked on nervously. Mialee had gotten paler and paler over the past two days. If this didn't work, they would have a real problem.

After about a minute of monotone chanting, the ring around Mialee's finger suddenly lit up.  
'Take it... off... while it...'  
About two seconds into that sentence, Mialee had already yanked the ring off her finger. It wasn't stuck this time. It came off without a problem.  
'is... glowing, or... I'll have...'  
And as soon as it did, the colour returned to Mialee's cheeks. An expression of huge relief appeared on her face.  
'to... do... it... again.'  
The tortle concluded with a smile. Mialee sighed, sinking back into her chair.  
'That... feels much better.'  
'Is it de-cursed?' Telyn asked, impressed. 'Just like that?'  
But Pegasus shook his head at them.  
'No. That spell only interrupts the curse, so that the cursed item can be taken off safely. If she were to put it on her finger again, the curse would take hold a second time.'  
'Like I'll ever put that on again,' Mialee replied. She held it at arm's length, like it was a piece of filth. The rest looked at it with mixed expressions.  
'So... what do we do with it?'  
'Well, it belongs to Mialee...'  
'I don't want that thing anywhere near me,' the elven ranger replied. Nala and Telyn had the same expression on their faces. Alatar and Echo seemed to be in doubt. But Yorda was looking at the ring with a familiar, eager gleam in her eyes.  
'Can I have that?'  
Nala, Mialee and Telyn eyed Yorda nervously. They did not seem at all comfortable with the current turn of events.  
'Why... why would you want to have a cursed item?'  
'Because it's fascinating,' Yorda answered. A big smile played on her face – one that, by now, the entire group was familiar with. It was not the answer that Nala had wanted.  
'No. No, I don't think that's a good idea. You shouldn't... this thing is dangerous.'  
'You take it, then,' Mialee said, swinging the arm with the ring around towards her.  
'Keep that away from me!'

The Dragonborn ducked out of the way, but she wasn't fast enough. Mialee threw the cursed ring at her. It bounced off of Nala's armor, and the paladin quickly batted it away with her arm. The thing went flying through the room, towards Pegasus and the tortle-  
But Echo snatched it from the air at the last moment. With a grin and a wink, she handed the ring to Yorda.  
'When you want something, you take it. Here.'  
Nala frowned in disapproval as she watched Yorda smile back. She took it from Echo. The cursed ring then vanished in one of her pouches.  
Gone.

Pegasus, who had been watching all of this unfold, shared a somewhat awkward glance with the tortle, before continuing:  
'Well... well! I am glad to see that your companion is safe from curses again. It's a lesson for the future, I am sure.'  
'Yes. Thank you very much, Pegasus.'  
'We have prepared sleeping quarters for all of you. Alatar, you can of course retire to your old quarters if you wish for solitude. I must ask all of you to refrain from wandering around unsupervised. There are delicate experiments and fragile research being conducted in this tower during all hours of the day, and some areas of the Spire are restricted to those with special clearance only. Alatar and Capricornicus can guide you if you feel unsure of where to go.'

He then stood up, towering over all of them in their seats. Even Nala. Adoriil Pegasus was a very tall elf. But his smile was gentle, with the flecks of gold in his eyes reflecting the light on the walls.  
'That will be all. I wish you all a very restful night.'

* * *

Of course they did not have a restful night.

Idiots.


	36. Chapter 4,2 - The Spire of Ba'aal, 1

**Chapter 4.2 - The Spire of Ba'aal**

* * *

As soon as the group was shown to their quarters, the nightly shenanigans began.

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

There were two rooms, big enough to accommodate groups of three each. Alatar had retired to his own room earlier. That left six people, including Sarasshan. If he even slept at all. By now, the group was used to a standard sleeping arrangement – but this time, Echo immediately went for Mialee.  
'Share a room with me,' she winked at the elf, pulling her towards one of the doors.

Nala knew her companions well by now. She knew that they were about to get into shenanigans, if they were left alone. Not this time. Nala immediately moved in after them, claiming the third bed in the room. The Dragonborn threw her weapons down, let out a sigh and moved in front of the doorway.  
'Why aren't you sleeping with Yorda?' Mialee asked the Tiefling. Echo raised an eyebrow with an amused smirk on her face, but chose to ignore her poor wording.  
'I've been told to behave one too many times today without being told what to stay away from. We're in a giant magic mage tower full of unexplored rooms and hallways. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Come on. Don't tell me you're not curious. They're _definitely_ hiding some interesting things here.'  
Mialee took a moment to ponder that. Then she nodded.  
'I _am_ curious.'  
'Right? Forget stealing underwear in taverns. That was just the warmup. This is where the real fun starts. I bet that Yorda and Sarasshan want to join in, too. What do you say?'  
The elven ranger frowned for a while, before a mischievous smile crept up on her face.  
'All right. I'm in. Let's find out what Alatar is being so mysterious about.'  
'That's more like it! I knew we'd see eye-to-eye,' Echo grinned. The Tiefling dumped her backpack on her bed. She was absolutely down for this. The two of them turned around to leave the room-  
Only to see Nala, still in full paladin armor, blocking the doorway. Looking down at them with a strict, judgmental glare.  
'Hey, you fall asleep there, Nala?' Echo joked. 'Mind taking a step to the left?'  
'No. You're not leaving the room.'  
'Aww, come on, partypooper!'  
But the Dragonborn stood firm, shaking her head at them.  
'These people have been very kind to us. We are not betraying that trust. Not on my watch.'  
'We're not betraying anything! We just want to take a stroll. Look around a little. Stretch our legs!'  
'I wasn't born yesterday, Echo. I know that's not what you have in mind. It's not going to happen.'  
The grin vanished from Echo's face and was replaced by a frown. She turned towards the wall, where the other room was.

A few moments later, the three of them could hear a soft knock on the door. The knob turned, and it creaked open an inch to reveal Yorda's pale form. Then the door was blocked from opening further by the paladin. Nala had turned into a literal doorstopper.  
'Nala, why are you blocking the doorway?'  
'Go back to bed, Yorda,' Nala growled over her shoulder. Across from her, Echo let out a huff of frustration.  
'Come on, Dragonborn! Live a little!'

* * *

 **Alatar**

* * *

Meanwhile, a floor higher up, Alatar had retired to his old quarters. They hadn't been disturbed since he had left them all those months ago. Everything still was exactly where he put it. Alatar was sitting down at a well-used desk.

He also wasn't alone. Capricornicus stood next to him. In between the two of them floated a crystal ball, transparent and see-through. Displaying the scene that was happening right below them. Capricornicus was glaring at Alatar, judging him hard.  
'It has not even been five minutes.'  
The wizard groaned, facepalming. He shouldn't have expected anything else. Alatar let out a long, deep sigh.  
'Fine. Might as well.'

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

The pale half-elf was stuck in the hallway, staring at the massive form that was Nala's backside. Her front was occupied with keeping Echo and Mialee in the room with her. Her chest was puffed out, and she clearly wasn't moving.  
'You can't keep us in here,' Mialee said. 'We can slip past you.'  
'Want to try?' the Dragonborn replied. The elven ranger took it as a challenge. She sprinted to the left- and feinted, going for Nala's right instead at the last second. But the paladin had anticipated that. Mialee ran straight into Nala's outstretched arm, ramming into it with a loud _clang_.  
'Oh, _come on!'  
_ 'No.'  
They continued arguing. It was mildly amusing. Yorda leaned back, waiting for the problem to resolve itself, when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. It was Alatar. Looking annoyed, as usual. As he saw the group gathered in the hallway, the wizard let out a deep sigh.  
'Fine. A tour. Let's go.'  
'That's more like it!' Echo yelled from inside the bedroom. She wiggled her way around Nala, who finally seemed to have given up. 'Lead the way!'  
'I'll give you a tour, if you'll behave and stay respectful,' Alatar warned them. 'And don't go wandering off. Got it?'  
'Got it,' Echo grinned. The rest of the group nodded too, albeit a bit more sincerely. Telyn and Sarasshan came along as well. It was quite the entourage. With another sigh, Alatar began the tour of his home.

He first took them to the Simulacrum – a testing area to train and experiment with various spells and magic. Alatar (and Mialee with her bow) had fun hitting targets for a while, before moving on. He made them climb another long, long set of stairs, all the way to the top of the tower. Up there rested a giant observatory, including a retractable dome that showed the stars. His favourite place in the tower, or so Alatar told them. It was a very impressive sight.

They stayed up there for about twenty minutes before going back down.  
'Where are we going next?' Mialee said, an eager grin on her face. She seemed ready for the next room to be even better than the sight they'd just been given. Alatar was silent for a second, before coming to a decision.  
'The library.'  
Both Echo and Mialee did not seem to like that.  
'The _library?'_ the Tiefling replied. 'A room of stuffy books? What's so interesting about that? Surely you have something more interesting than a _library.'  
_ Alatar huffed.  
'Just because you don't find it interesting, doesn't mean that nobody else in the group does. I'm sure that this will be worthwhile for some of you.'  
As he said that, Yorda noticed Alatar glancing in her direction. There seemed to be something on his mind. Echo happened to catch it, too.  
'What, Yorda? Have you _ever_ seen her with a book?'  
The wizard did not respond to her jab. Echo fell silent, mumbling under her breath about stuffy rooms and stuffy mages. She slowly trailed to the back of the group, where Mialee and Sarasshan were. They started whispering among themselves. Nala and Alatar didn't seem to notice it.

Eventually, they arrived at their final destination. The library. It was a giant room, taking up almost an entire floor of the Spire by itself. Even though it was getting very late, the group could see multiple students and apprentices at tables, surrounded by piles and piles of tomes. The light in the library was dimmed. They didn't seem to have any problems with reading, though.  
'So, this is it,' Alatar said to the group. 'This place has information on basically anything. You're free to look around, but don't disturb the others.'  
'Information on _anything?'_ Telyn replied. 'Anything at all?'  
'If you can find the book.'  
'Don't mind if I do,' she smiled, before skipping off to the nearest book shelf. Nala did the same, with something in between a sigh and an unwilling growl. The pale half-elf was about to follow her, when Alatar tapped her on the shoulder.  
'This way.'

Now she was sure about it. There was definitely something on his mind. Yorda followed him curiously. He led her away from the rest of the group, towards a series of bookcases around the corner. One of the Spire's librarians caught sight of them. She quickly approached.  
'Alatar, is that you? My, it's been a while. What can I help you with today?'  
'I'm looking for some information,' he said, while glancing at Yorda from the corner of his eye. 'Information on worlds other than this one.'  
Yorda felt herself tense up at his words. She cast the both of them a glance, observing their body language. As hard as that was, with the both of them wearing baggy robes that basically covered everything. The librarian did not seem to notice.  
'You'll have to be a little more specific than that,' the woman smiled. 'Are you talking about the Astral plane? The primordial realms? Alternate realities? That one's always interesting to study.'  
'I'd say... the ones closest to this plane,' Alatar thought out loud. The librarian nodded and snapped her fingers. Almost immediately, a number of thick tomes removed themselves from the surrounding bookcases and gently floated towards the nearest table.  
'The basics should be described in there. If you need more detailed books, you know how the library works.'  
'No, this should be enough for now,' Alatar answered. 'Thank you.'  
'Welcome back, Alatar.'

* * *

 **Meanwhile...**

With Alatar and Nala focused on the library, they had forgotten about keeping tabs on a very specific part of their group. Echo, Mialee and Sarasshan the Djinni were left on their own. With nobody to keep tabs on them. And no supervision.

The three of them immediately made use of that. As soon as Nala and Alatar had their backs turned, they started walking backwards (floating, in Sarasshan's case) and snuck back out of the library. They were stealthy enough to not be noticed by either of them.

As soon as they were outside, three grins spread on their faces.  
'Now what?' Mialee asked Echo. The Tiefling had a mischievous spark in her eyes.  
'Now the _real_ tour begins. Let's move.'

And they took off. With the hoods of their borrowed robes up, pretending that they belonged there, the trio swiftly made their way down the nearest hallway. Down a flight of stairs. Into another hallway. They weren't entirely sure what they were looking for – until they came across a large, sealed door with the name "Arcaneum" on it.  
'Jackpot,' Echo whispered. Mialee looked from the name to her, and back to the door.  
'Why? What's Arcaneum?'  
'I have no fucking clue. Let's go find out.'

And she pushed against the door. There was no reaction. Locked. Echo reached for her lockpicks, bending down to demonstrate her lockpicking skills – but there was no lock to be found. Or a handle. It was a massive, handleless sealed door.  
'Well, shit.'  
'Now what?' Sarasshan asked. He seemed to be very amused by it all. Mialee looked at the door for a second, frowning. Then she stepped forwards, raised her fist, and knocked on the door. Hard.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then she knocked again and a voice rang out from the other side.  
'What?! I'm busy! Who is it?!'  
'Watch this,' Echo grinned. Her eyes lit up in an eerie yellow. The next second, Echo's form had vanished. In her place stood the spitting image of Alatar. She'd pulled that stunt before. Way back in Phandalin, when she had used it to impersonate a Redbrand gang member named Jean. Her bag of tricks had expanded since then, though. Mialee and Sarasshan watched as Echo moved up to the door and, in a voice that couldn't be told apart from the wizard's, yelled out:  
'It's Alatar. Hurry up and let me in already.'  
'Genius!' Mialee whispered. From the other side of the door, they could hear the shuffling of footsteps. And cursing. They did not sound like they were in a hurry. As Echo and Mialee's grins widened in anticipation of the incoming shenanigans, Sarasshan decided to join in on the fun as well.  
'I bet I can top that,' he whispered at Echo. The next moment, his form shifted and morphed into that of Adoriil Pegasus. Down to the last detail, including the specs of gold in his eyes and the smile lines around his mouth. He was indistinguishable from the real Pegasus. Mialee and Echo's smiles widened even further.

This was going to be good.

Next to them, the heavy doors opened from the other side. peeking out from that opening was a human man with dull brown hair and green eyes. A very, very annoyed expression played on his face. He looked ready to slam the doors shut again at a moment's notice. With an angry glare, he spoke to Alatar.  
'For Pelor's sake, don't you know I'm working in h-'  
And froze as his eyes fell on "Pegasus". His complexion went from pale to white to bright pink in less than two seconds.  
'I-I mean, Alatar! It's been a while!'  
'A pleasure to see you again,' "Alatar" smirked. 'As you can see, I'm in the middle of giving an important tour. Pega- the Archmagus has given me permission to show our facilities. Move out of the way so we can give the Arcaneum the attention it deserves, would you?'  
' _Excuse_ me,' the man replied, getting even more pink around his cheeks, 'but I am in the middle of important research here.'  
There was some clear hostility from his side. Or maybe all apprentice mages were like that around here. The trio didn't know. Sarasshan's disguise provided the solution.  
'Excuse you, indeed. Now let us in, please.'

The effect was instant. His face turned even pinker than before. The poor guy looked like he had been struck across the face with a whip. Apparently Pegasus was not to be talked back to around here. The poor guy stammered:  
'I... but he... yes, Archmagus.'  
With an angry glare at Alatar, the mage stepped back in order to let them pass. Success! The trio shared a smug look among themselves. They moved into the Arcaneum, very pleased with their deception.

It wasn't as grand and mysterious as they had hoped. It looked like a research facility, with piles and piles of notes stacked over spell circles and arcane formulas. Most of the place was empty at this time of night. The only one there was the green-eyed mage. He'd claimed a table for himself. There was a large, half-copied scroll on that table – a scroll that he quickly hid from sight by standing in front of it. The move did not go unnoticed.  
'What'cha working on?'  
'That's none of your- I-I mean,' he said, as soon as he noticed Pegasus looking, 'It's just some research! Nothing special. I'll clean it up right away!'  
'I want to see,' Mialee said, making a beeline for the table. But the mage was quicker. He snatched up the scroll, quickly rolling it up and out of sight.  
'S-sorry. Rough drafts and all. I'm sure you understand, as a fellow... uh... what are you, actually?'  
'What?' Mialee responded. Her momentary hesitation seemed to give the mage some of his spine back. With a slightly suspicious glare, he looked Mialee over.  
'Where are you from, elf?'  
His gaze lingered on her short swords and the bow strapped to her back. The elven ranger quickly tried to improvise. It was something that she had tried in the past... and had proven to be bad at.  
'Don't... don't let the bow fool you! I'm a magic user. Yeah!'  
'Oh?' the man replied, his voice dripping with suspicion. 'Then how did you end up here?'  
Mialee was stammering for a response. At the last moment, Echo stepped in.  
'Can't you tell, you idiot? She met ME.'  
'Oh, y-yeah! I'm Alatar's apprentice!'

The sentence hung in the air a good few seconds after she blurted it out. A short, very uncomfortable silence fell in the room. The mage glanced at Alatar. At Mialee. Back at Alatar.

After which he gave the elf a long, _very_ judgmental stare.  
'I mean, no disrespect, but... seriously?'  
'Hey! What's that supposed to mean?' Echo replied, quasi-offended. He shrugged, not explaining himself. He didn't have to. It was _very_ clear what this wizard thought of Alatar.

Mialee seemed to take that little remark as further suspicion towards them, though. As a sign that they hadn't bluffed well enough yet. So she decided to lay it on just a little thicker.  
'Seriously! I'm... I'm in love with him!'

It was a good thing that none of the other party members were there to witness this. Echo could barely contain her laughter. She somehow managed to keep a straight face while Mialee blurted that out. The wizard's face turned even more judgmental.  
'...You fell in love. With him. Seriously.'  
'Are you calling her a liar?' "Alatar" replied, this time unable to keep an Echo-like smirk from spreading across her face.  
'No, but-'  
'I happen to be desirable enough to actually get a girlfriend. Unlike _someone_ I know.'

The wizard opened his mouth to snap back at Alatar- but held his tongue at the last moment because of "Pegasus" being there. By now, the poor man was fuming in silent anger. And the three of them were enjoying every moment of it. Echo looked around, trying to see if there were any other interesting things in the room to look at. But the Arcaneum was empty. Other than that scroll, which the wizard still held behind his back. It was less exiting than what the Tiefling had hoped for. Just a stuffy room with a stuffy nerd in it. She was a little disappointed. But this was only one room. There was surely more to be discovered. She turned away from the wizard, gesturing her companions towards the door.  
'Well, this has been fun. We'll be going now. I'll be showing my apprentice some of the other facilities. Our time is precious, so make sure not to disturb us, understood?'  
For a moment, it looked as if his head was about to explode. That's how angry he looked. Then the moment passed. The wizard shot Echo a truly venomous look, growling:  
'Of course. Wouldn't want to impose on your _precious_ time with your _girlfriend.'  
_ 'Naturally,' Echo smiled back. And they exited the Arcaneum, the wizard slamming the door behind them.

As soon as they were sure they were out of earshot, the three of them burst out laughing.  
'Did you see his _face?!'  
_ 'I thought he was going to explode!'  
They laughed some more, wiping the tears from their eyes. Eventually, Echo turned to Sarasshan.  
'So you shapeshift, too.'  
'Occasionally,' the Djinni shrugged. He was looking very pleased with himself. Echo and Mialee gave him a big smile.  
'It was perfect! We couldn't have topped that if we tried!'

They looked at each other, in a rare moment of bonding. Echo nodded as she looked at the two people in front of her. Mialee and herself connected well here. For a moment, she wondered how the ranger would have fared back in Baldur's Gate. She wasn't the most charming, but good at sneaking and very resourceful. She might have done well in the city. She nodded to herself, smiling at Mialee. Her eyes were gleaming with the thoughts of future mischief.  
'I think we're going to have a lot of fun like this.'

* * *

 **Meanwhile, back at the library...**

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

Telyn and Nala had gathered at tables near each other. Each had a pile of books stacked up next to them. While Telyn rapidly flipped through illustrations of past musicians, Nala was struggling to read a massive history tome. It was dusty, too. The Dragonborn growled as she read. Of course, out of all the books in this place, she got the big, scary old one. Nala was not good with books.

She'd managed to get some valuable information, though. The Dragonborn had been wondering about the conflict near her home for a while now, but her village didn't have a big library. Her paladin order did, but it was of a different sort. She hadn't really had the chance to dive into things. But now she did. She'd found a passage on historical wars in Tymanther, her home region. Nala had a little note sheet next to her, scribbling down anything that seemed of importance.

Turned out that the tensions between Ocendra and Fortiis Dolèn were even older than Nala had imagined. Far, far beyond her lifespan. And that of her parents, for that matter. Relationships had been bad for over a thousand years. The tome actually made a point to mention that the reason for the fighting itself had been lost to history a long time ago. Now nobody remembered why they were at war anymore. Yet tensions continued, even today.

That was... weird. Something about that passage bothered Nala. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but... something about that made her feel uneasy. There wasn't any other information in there, though. The Dragonborn sighed, giving up.

Enough books for the day.

* * *

Around the corner, a little ways away from the two of them, Alatar and Yorda were examining the contents of another, even bigger tome than what the paladin had been struggling with. Or more specifically, Alatar was examining it. The half-elf hung back, observing Alatar instead.  
'Here,' he said, pointing at a passage in the book. 'I think this is it. Interplanar travel. Let's see... _"In addition to the necessary arcane power, one requires the presence of an object to act as a divining rod in order to successfully reach the intended destination. Such an object must be attuned to the intended plane of existence for the transportation magic to take root."_ So just casting a spell alone isn't enough. That's a problem. Let me see if they have anything on divining rods...'

And he started flipping through the pages again. As he worked, Yorda had slowly walked up next to him. She wasn't looking at the tome. She was looking at Alatar.  
'Why are you showing me this?'

He turned another page. Hesitated. Then stopped reading and faced the half-elf.  
'You knew what I am. Almost right from the beginning. And you kept that to yourself. I'm grateful for that. But I'm not an idiot. I know what you are, too. I've known for a while now.'

That had an effect on Yorda. Her eyes grew a little wider, surprised at Alatar's words. For a moment, she seemed truly stunned. Then that moment passed, and a smile spread on her face. Wordlessly, the half-elf brought a single finger up to her lips.  
'I know,' Alatar replied, nodding at her. 'I won't tell. But maybe this can help you get home. Or find what you're looking for. I can help. If you want.'  
She bowed her head at him, acknowledging his words for what they were.  
'Maybe.'  
Then she gave him another smile.  
'You're a good person.'  
A slight blush spread on Alatar's cheeks. He quickly broke eye contact with her, looking away awkwardly while scratching the back of his head.  
'Yeah. Erm. Well. That's all I wanted to show you, so.'  
'We should rejoin the others,' Yorda nodded at him.  
'Yes! Yes. Right. We should do that.'

He quickly put the tome away, still a bit awkward in his movement. The two of them joined up with Nala and Telyn just as they were doing the same. It took them about five seconds of looking at each other, in their group of four, to realize what was wrong with this situation.

Then Alatar's eyes narrowed, and Yorda said:  
'...Where's Echo?'  
'Oh, no,' Nala groaned. Mialee and Sarasshan weren't there, either. That could only mean one thing.  
She felt sorry for Alatar already.  
'God damn it,' the wizard growled. 'I leave them alone for _one second-'_

At that moment, the heavy library doors opened again. Casually strolling in were their two missing party members, and the Djinni. All with mischievous grins on their faces.  
'Where have you been?' Nala snapped at them. The three looked at each other, still grinning.  
'Just on a walk. Relax. We didn't want to disturb your reading.'

Her tone, combined with their facial expressions, told Nala exactly what they had been up to. The Dragonborn sighed, facepalming. They were incorrigible.  
'I give up. It's too late for this. Let's just get to bed.'

And they went, their mischievous allies in tow. That followed them properly...

This time.

Idiots.

* * *

 _My laptop broke down the other day. I bought a new one. It has fancy lights under the keyboard that light up when you press a key. I can't stop typing random things now just to see the keyboard light up. IT'S MAGICAL. qjwkdbhejgvfegffcqwfasdfghjkl;_

 _*cough*_

 _right. Comments are appreciated! What do you think of the story so far? Which of the cast is your favourite? We have a bet going (and I really really really want to win), so let me know!_

 _-Yimi_


	37. Chapter 4,3 - The Spire of Ba'aal, 2

**4.3 - The Spire of Ba'aal, part 2**

* * *

That morning, the group was awakened by a loud knock on the door. Nala, who had been up reading until late, groaned and rolled over in bed. She wasn't getting up. So Echo went to answer the door instead. She opened it to reveal the form of Capricornicus, once again on his hind legs and wearing a mage robe. With a disapproving scowl, the deer looked down on her.  
'Did you have fun playing dress-up?'  
Woops.  
'I-I have no idea what you mean,' the Tiefling said, surprised and caught off-guard so early in the morning. Capricornicus scowled even more. He was stroking his deer-like goatee- not with his hoof, but with Mage Hand. It would have looked rather comical, if not for the daggers in his eyes.  
'Pegasus would like to speak with you this evening.'  
'Oh.'  
Echo shared an uncomfortable look with Mialee. Then she shrugged, and turned back towards the deer.  
'Any idea what it's abou-'  
But Capricornicus had already walked away from the doorway and halfway down the hall. He turned around just long enough to use his Mage hand a second time – this time to aggressively make the eyes-on-you gesture at Echo. She gave him a smirk in response.

* * *

Not long after that, everyone had gathered in the dining hall for breakfast. Since they had stayed up until near-sunrise the other night, most of the group was very tired. Nala and Echo especially looked as if they were about to fall asleep at any moment. Which soon became reality. The Dragonborn drifted off mid-breakfast, plopping down right next to her plate. The Tiefling followed not soon after, only she grabbed a pillow from a nearby chair first.

Not long afterwards, Alatar got up from his seat.  
'What's on the program today?' Telyn smiled at him. 'Another tour?'  
She was eating some sort of fancy-looking pink pastry. The wizard shook his head at her.  
'I have a few things I need to take care of while we're here. You all should rest until the afternoon. We've been on the road for a while. It's a good chance to catch up on sleep and prepare for tomorrow.'  
He made a good point. Especially with Nala and Echo conked out at the table. Mialee, Yorda and Telyn seemed somewhat awake, though. The robed wizard shrugged at them.  
'I'll be back in a couple of hours. You've been told where and where not to go. Capricornicus will be with you all in just a moment. Stay out of trouble until then.'

And he was out the door. Mialee, Yorda and Telyn shot each other a glance. Then shrugged, and kept eating. For a lone tower in the middle of the desert, the food really wasn't bad. There were even sandwiches. Yorda was in the middle of gorging herself on those when she spotted someone else come in from the corner of her eye. Expecting it to be Alatar again, she turned around to face him.

Turns out it wasn't Alatar. In the doorway, their physical features hidden by a hooded mage robe, stood a small humanoid. They were even better at hiding their face than Alatar. Yorda could only see a glimpse of it – a lavender skin, framed by pale, stark white hair.

As soon as the figure laid eyes on them all, they froze. Glanced over at the sandwiches. Glanced over at the group. Then took a step back, turned around and bolted out of the room.  
'There's some leftovers if you- aaaaaaand he's gone.'  
'Who was that?' Telyn asked. Mialee could only shrug.  
'No idea. There's a lot of weirdos here.'  
The pale half-elf frowned, looking at the hallway. She seemed to make up her mind about something. Yorda grabbed another sandwich from the table, put it on a plate and began walking away.  
'Where are you going?'  
'For a walk,' Yorda replied over her shoulder.  
'Hey! Wait, we're not supposed to go around unsupervised!'  
Telyn quickly jumped up to follow her. She ran out after Yorda, disappearing around the corner. Before too long their footsteps trailed off into the distance.

That left just Mialee. On her own. Again.

Except this time, her partner-in-crime was asleep on the breakfast table. And so was Nala. Mialee, who only needed four hours of meditation at night, did not feel like taking a rest at all. But that did leave her on her own. She stayed in the dining hall for a few moments, waiting to see if Echo woke back up. When the Tiefling did not, Mialee left to roam the tower by herself.

She didn't get far before running into more shenanigans.

* * *

 **Alatar**

As Alatar made his way up the stairs of the Spire, he came across a familiar face. A brown-haired human mage with green eyes crossed paths with him in the hall. His name was Cedric, and he was one of the other apprentices. Alatar gave him a nod as a greeting. He expected to get the same courtesy from him. But as soon as Cedric saw him, his brow furrowed. A giant scowl spread on his face.  
'Where's your little _apprentice_ , huh? Tired of her already?'

Alatar blinked in confusion. He had no idea what Cedric was talking about. And the mage did not explain himself. Alatar was roughly shoulder-bumped as the man moved past him and down the stairs, his arms wrapped around a bunch of scrolls. He watched Cedric go with a confused look on his face.

What had that been about?

* * *

 **Yorda**

Telyn had followed Yorda as she made her way through the Spire's halls with the sandwich. The pale half-elf wasn't entirely sure why she'd tagged along. She wasn't sure about lots of things regarding that bard, though. So Yorda shrugged, and kept walking.

The white-haired figure had piqued her interest. She had never seen someone with white hair and lavender skin before- not in this world. Maybe that was a coincidence. Then again, maybe it wasn't. And if it was not...  
Then she wanted to know who it was.

It did not take her long to find what she was looking for. As she rounded another corner, the figure from before came back into view. They were sitting in a darkened windowsill, reading some kind of book. Their face was still almost entirely covered by the hood. It really was a mage thing, then, Yorda concluded. She began to approach the figure.  
'What are we doing?' Telyn whispered behind her.  
'Giving him food.'  
'Why?'  
But Yorda did not feel like explaining herself to the bard. Their whispering had drawn the figure's attention, though. Their head jolted up as they approached. Yorda could see another glimpse of white hair. As a peace offering, the pale half-elf held up the plate with the sandwich.  
'You didn't get any breakfast.'

The figure didn't respond. They looked... tense, as if they were about to take off running. Like a cornered animal. That was odd. Yorda and Telyn weren't being threatening at all. Or so she thought. But their body language said otherwise, and it threw her off.  
What would be non-threatening in a situation like this?

The pale half-elf bit her lip, doubting herself. Then she made up her mind. Her body shifted, shrinking down into the form of a little white squirrel.  
And it had the exact opposite effect of what she was going for. The figure let out a scream, jumping off the window and bolting away as fast as he could. Within seconds they were out of sight.  
'Well that didn't work,' Telyn thought out loud, shrugging as Yorda changed back.  
'I noticed.'  
'Maybe you shouldn't do that again? I can try talking. I'm pretty good at that, you know.'  
That would defeat the whole point of seeking them out herself. Yorda grumbled something in response, not engaging with Telyn's suggestion. The pink-haired bard turned towards the windowsill.  
'He left something behind.'  
She went to grab it. It was the book that the figure had been reading. It looked old, with folded corners and loose pieces of paper sticking out of it. More like a notebook than a novel. Telyn opened it up, curiously flipping through the pages.  
'Oh... that makes sense.'  
'What makes sense?'  
She pointed at the book.  
'He's a Drow. That's why his hair was white. And an albino, too. Man, it must be hard for him out here.'

Yorda had no idea what a "Drow" was. The bard said it like it was something negative, though. Telyn handed the book to her. Inside were a series of scribbled notes in Elvish, together with drawings of what looked like subterranean plants. It didn't mean anything to Yorda. But Telyn seemed to recognise it. She looked back in the direction that they came from.  
'Maybe someone near the mess hall knows where his room is. We shouldn't be out here.'  
'You go on ahead,' Yorda replied to her. The bard did not seem to like that.  
'We shouldn't be out here on our own!'  
'Then go back. I'll join you all later.'  
Telyn opened her mouth to argue, and then decided against it.  
'Fine. I'll see you back in the mess hall.'

* * *

 **Mialee**

Mialee had been poking around the various hallway entrances, trying to make it look like she knew where she was going. Emphasis on trying. Of course it caught people's attention.

Mialee was in the middle of trying to act as if she belonged when her eye fell on a hallway spiraling down. A golden cord was strung in front of it, blocking people from getting in. The few mages in the main hall all stayed clear of it, giving it a wider berth than was normal.  
There was definitely something down there.

The ranger nodded to herself. Mialee stealthily attempted to move over to the restricted section – and bumped head-first into Senga, who had stepped in to cut her off.  
'Going somewhere?'  
'S-Senga!' Mialee said, smiling as best she could. 'No, not going anywhere. Nope. Not me.'  
The dark-haired twin raised a single eyebrow. A knowing smirk played on her face. She did a quick look around the hallway. Then Senga stepped towards the elven ranger and leaned in, whispering into her ear with an ominous gleam in her eyes.  
'Do you want to see a dead body?'

That was not what the elf had expected to hear. Her eyes narrowed as she looked the twin over. Senga had a familiar look of mischief playing on her face. Very familiar. It was almost as if she was looking at a human version of Echo. Or herself. The expression was the same.  
'What dead body?'  
Senga grabbed hold of Mialee's wrist in response.  
'Not here. Come with me.'

And she dragged the elf off to the right, down another hallway. There was a little corner, built around a statue of something or other. Mialee didn't have time to take a good look at it. Senga pulled her into the corner by the hand. The twin did a quick double-take of the hallway, to make sure that there was nobody there. When Senga was sure that they couldn't be overheard, she turned towards the ranger. Her eyes were gleaming with mischief.  
'I saw Pegasus carry in a dead body the other day. He took it down into the basement.'  
'The restricted area?'  
Senga nodded, her grin widening.  
'The restricted area. Students aren't allowed in there, either. I've never seen what's down there myself.'  
'Why would he need a dead body?' Mialee whispered back. She didn't like the sound of this. Her mind traveled back to the wizard's tower in Neverwinter Woods. And the ruby.  
'That's what I want to find out. Pegasus is out for the day, and Capri-sun is busy with Alatar. It's now or never.'  
She pointed at Mialee.  
'You have a good look in your eyes. I noticed it right away. I bet you don't get scared quickly. Or shy away from risks.'  
'Of course not,' the ranger responded. Senga gave an approving nod.  
'I knew you wouldn't. You're the perfect partner to go investigating with me. What do you say?'

Mialee only hesitated for a second. Then the elven ranger nodded, her thoughts trailing back to Dario's grave.  
'I'm in.'  
'Perfect,' Senga smiled. She cast a glance in the direction of the mess hall.  
'Should we invite your Tiefling friend as well?'  
'No, she's asleep, Mialee said, shaking her head. Senga looked disappointed for a second. Then she nodded.  
'I see. All right, then.'  
She dug around in her pockets, pulling out a scroll with arcane writing on it.  
'I st- borrowed this from the Arcaneum when people weren't looking. It's a scroll of invisibility. I'll cast it on both of us, and then we can sneak past the cord.'  
Mialee cast a quick glance into the pocket that she had pulled the scroll from. It was a big pocket. It was also stuffed to the brink with scrolls just like the other one. Mialee raised a single eyebrow at the sight.  
'Looks like you "borrowed" a lot.'  
'Yeah, well. There are defenses down there. You never know what you might need.'  
The brown-haired elf shrugged. She'd never been in a building like this before, so she didn't know. By now, though, she was itching to get down there. Mialee nodded at Senga, gesturing at the scroll.  
'Okay. Cast it.'

She did. Senga opened the scroll, reading the spell under her breath. Mialee felt a slight tickling sensation in the tips of her toes and fingers. She brought her hands up to her face – only there was nothing to see. Her body had vanished from sight. Senga had turned invisible, as well. Her voice rang out from the air in front of her.  
'Okay, follow me. Oh, and don't worry. The cord is just a cord. We can slip underneath it no problem.'

Mialee nodded. Then realized that Senga couldn't see it even if she did. The elven ranger killed her breathing, clicking into sneaky-mode. She moved back into the hallway.

There were still a few people there. But as Mialee was invisible, nobody took notice. She slowly made her way over to the cord, careful not to get too close to anyone. Mialee reached the entrance without a problem. Invisibility made this almost too easy. Carefully, making sure not to disturb it, Mialee passed underneath the cord. There wasn't an alarm. No spells went off. Senga was right. It really was just a cord.

The elven ranger kept going. Behind the cord was a staircase, spiraling down into the ground. Mialee carefully made her way down. It was a longer walk than she had expected. In fact, just making it down that staircase took almost a full minute. It opened up into a dark, stone hallway. The walls and floor were lit up by torches. Not with normal fire. This fire was blue, and cast eerie shadows all over the hallway. It reminded Mialee of being underwater and underground at the same time. It was not a nice feeling.

She could see a couple of heavy doors in the distance. Mialee gulped, and kept going.  
And bumped into something with a dull _thud_.  
' _Ow!_ Hey!'  
Senga's voice.  
'Sorry. I didn't see you there.'  
'Oh, ha-ha.'  
Mialee made a move to keep going, but Senga's invisible arm held her back.  
'Wait. There's a barrier in front of us. I need to dispel it, or it'll alert everyone in the tower that we're down here.'  
'I don't see anything.'  
'It's invisible, just like us. You have to be trained in the arcane to notice it. Just... hold on a moment.'

Mialee could hear the rusting of paper, followed by another muttered incantation. The next moment, she felt something heat up in front of her. Then that sensation faded. A faint breeze trailed past Mialee's arms.  
'It's dispelled. We can keep going now.'  
'Why is there a breeze down here?'  
'Bad isolation?'  
'We're underground,' Mialee replied.  
'I don't know! Who cares? We're in a giant magical tower. This basement could be in another plane of existence for all we know.'

They kept going. Mialee carefully made her way through the dark hall, occasionally bumping into Senga. It was eerily silent. The ranger could hear her own breathing. It was cold down here, too. Not cold enough to be a problem, but just enough to start feeling uncomfortable.

Before long, they reached two large doors. One of them was made out of thick metal, and the other looked like solid stone. Both were closed.  
'Which one should we open first?'  
'Left,' Mialee whispered. The stone door had caught her attention. She could hear the invisible form of Senga move over to the doorway.  
'Senga, do you have any lockpicks?'  
On closer inspection, this door too seemed to be devoid of locks. Strange. Senga did not let that discourage her, though.  
'I have something better.'

More rusting of scrolls. Mialee could hear a short incantation- and then the door swung open. On its own.  
'Never underestimate the value of a good _Knock_ spell,' Senga whispered to her. The next moment, both of them turned visible again. Just in time for the triumphant smile to vanish from Senga's face.  
'Oops. Forgot about that.'

The two of them moved closer to look inside. It was a dark room, completely smooth and windowless, with a stone platform in the middle. There was something resting on top of it. Mialee could see a bubbling, heaping pile of black goo. It looked disgusting. It was moving, too. As soon as the door opened, that pile of goo started crawling towards the doorway. Towards them. Mialee watched as a writhing, bubbling pseudopod emerged from the ooze and reached out towards her-

And Senga slammed the door shut.  
'Right! Not that one.'

As they moved over to the other door, Mialee felt a strange sensation on her skin. It took her a while to figure out what it was, but then she realized. The wind had changed directions. Instead of trailing towards the stairs, the air was now moving further into the basement. Almost as if it was being pulled there.

Strange.

'Are you ready? I'm opening it!'  
Mialee was snapped out of her contemplations by the creaking sound of a metal door. It swung open the same way that the previous door did. As it did, the invisibility spell on both of them ended. They became visible again. The elven ranger braced herself, expecting another ooze to come blubbering out towards them.

But not this time. Nothing came out. It was dead silent in there. Mialee slowly approached the doorway, peeking in. The room looked the exact same as the other one, with one exception. Where there had been an ooze before, now she could see a long, wooden table. There were blood stains on it. Mialee could see a humanoid figure lying on that table, covered with a black sheet. It wasn't moving.  
'That's it,' Senga whispered next to her. 'That's the body.'

It was a large, almost hulking figure. Part of a pale white foot poked out underneath the sheet. Mialee's mind was again taken back to the tower in the forest, and Dario's hulking form. The hairs in the back of her neck rose up as another gust of wind trailed past her. She slowly moved into the room. Her eyes were locked on the table in front of her. Behind her, Mialee could hear Senga walk in as well. The black-haired twin was clearly letting her take the lead on this one.

Mialee gulped nervously as she reached the table. The figure underneath the sheet lay completely still. Not moving at all.

Maybe it was a jackalwere?

But... what if it was a villager?

...

Was Mialee about to find the corpse of Dario?

With slightly trembling hands, the elven ranger grabbed hold of the sheet that covered the figure's face. Still no movement. She hesitated. Inhaled. Waited a second. And then slowly, slowly pulled the sheet off its head.

It wasn't Dario. It wasn't a human or elf, either. What was revealed under that sheet was something that they'd encountered before. A grey-skinned humanoid, with teeth that had sharpened into fangs and a long, lashing tongue. A ghoul.

Just as Mialee realized that, the undead monster in front of her suddenly jolted upwards. It was going for her throat!  
Mialee let out a scream, jumping back in surprise. The ghoul did not pursue her. It flopped over and fell off the table. A purple floating mage hand revealed itself where its back had been a second ago.  
Senga burst out laughing behind her.  
'A- _Ahahahaha!_ You should have seen your face!'  
' _Senga!'_

The human mage was almost rolling over the floor with laughter. A purple blush spread across Mialee's cheeks. She threw the sheet back over the ghoul, with Senga wiping the tears from her eyes.  
'Oh, that was priceless! Sorry. I couldn't resist. It was just too perfect!'  
'Are we done here?' Mialee replied, annoyed.  
'Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Hold on.'  
Senga walked over to the ghoul as well, and pulled it back onto the table. It looked... almost the same as before. The sheet was a little off-mark. Senga didn't seem to care. She turned around, moving back to Mialee.  
'Ah, that was great. I can't wait to see what else we can find in-'

At which moment, from further in, they could hear a loud, ear-piercing _"_ _ **CRACK**_ _!"_

Both of them jumped up in surprise. Senga threw Mialee a nervous glance, then looked towards the doorway.  
'...What was that?'

The wind had changed directions again. It had gotten stronger, too. Mialee could hear a windy howling coming from further in. A howling that was rapidly gaining in strength. Very rapidly. Senga didn't realize it. She went to the doorway.  
'What's going on out-'  
'No, wait!'

Mialee grabbed Senga and pulled her back just as the howling winds became unbearably loud. Something that looked to be made out of wind bulldozed by, breaking the metal door out of its hinges and making it slam into the wall. If Senga had moved an inch further out into the hallway, she would have been decapitated.

The figure stormed right past their door. It was heading towards the stairs. Within a split second it was out of sight again.  
'What the fuck was that?!' Senga yelled. The ranger looked out into the hallway nervously.  
'I don't know. Where'd it come from?'  
'Don't ask me! Fuck!'

The two of them ran out. Mialee was the fastest. She sprinted into the hallway, looking down the direction that the howling figure had come from.

There was someone there. Someone familiar. Jogging towards her, his hair frazzled and his robes looking like they'd been dragged through a hurricane, was the apprentice from the other night. The one from the Arcaneum. He seemed to be in a panic.  
'Oh gods, oh gods, oh no-'  
His eye fell on Mialee just as she sprinted outside.  
'You?!'  
Those eyes grew even wider when he saw Senga run up behind her.  
'Senga?! You're not supposed to be down here!'  
The black-haired twin took one look at him and screamed:  
'NEITHER ARE YOU, FUCKFACE!'  
'What is happening?!' Mialee yelled at him. Cedric fiddled with something behind his back, looking incredibly guilty.  
'Now I... I didn't mean for that to happen! It was a small error in my calculations. A mistake in the arcane runes. A trifle. It has nothing to do with-'  
'We don't care, you moron!' Senga screamed at him. 'What the hell did you do?!'

Mialee could see a piece of paper behind his back. Part of a scroll. It looked suspiciously much like the one that she'd seen him with the day before. The one that he had tried so hard to cover up. It was torn, and the edges were burnt and smoking.  
'I, uh... I might have tried to summon an elemental,' Cedric said sheepishly. Senga's expression turned to one of shock.  
'An elemental? A fucking _elemental?!_ What the fuck, Cedric?! People are going to get _killed!'  
_ 'That's not what I wanted to do! It was supposed to be controlled!'  
A giant crash resounded from the floor above. They could hear things breaking, and the screams of other students.  
'Does that sound fucking _controlled_ to you?!'  
'Come on!' Mialee yelled at them. 'We have to go!'

And she sprinted towards the staircase, with the others not far behind. There was another crash above, followed by a tremor. One of the torches fell out of its sconce and onto the floor from the force of it.

This was bad.

This was really bad.

* * *

 **Nala**

The gold-scaled Dragonborn was in the library together with Echo, making a second attempt at finding information about the High King of the North when she heard a crash. The sound of breaking objects.  
And screams. Terrified screams.  
'What the-?!'

Her weapon and shield were leaned against the library table. She made a leap to grab them, just as Echo jumped up from her table as well. The library was right outside of the main hall. The doors were closed – but there was so much screaming going out outside that door that both of them instantly knew what was up. They nodded to each other.  
'Come on.'

And Nala ran off, taking the lead. She smashed the doors open with her massive form, like a battering ram. They were blasted backwards to reveal a scene that was very, very different from when they had entered the Spire.

The magnificent crystal chandelier was on the floor. In pieces. So were the wall decorations, the shelves with the visitor robes and the cord blocking entry to the basement level. There were people left and right, sprinting away from the main hall in a blind panic. Some of them were bleeding. It was pandemonium.

The cause of it all floated in the middle of the room. Nala wasn't actually sure what she saw - it took a moment to sink in. Floating twenty feet off the ground was a cyclone of living air. As it moved, Nala could see the vaguest outlines of a facial expression in there.  
An expression of absolute rage.

'What the fuck is that?!' Echo screamed, as she ran up next to Nala. The paladin shook her head.  
'I... I have no idea.'

On the other side of the room, three figures came running out of the basement. Mialee, Senga and Cedric. As soon as the elemental saw him, the expression of rage increased tenfold. It took a dive, blasting forwards like a tiny hurricane. Coursing right for Cedric and Mialee.  
' _Watch out!'  
_ Senga tackled Cedric at the last second, throwing both of them out of harm's way. Mialee wasn't so lucky. The air elemental rammed into her at full speed. She was picked up by the swirling winds and flung against the wall. Hard. Nala could hear something cracking when the elf made contact with the stone. Mialee let out a pained scream as she fell on the floor.

And the elemental wasn't done. It had lost sight of Cedric (who was hiding behind a pillar like a coward), and so changed targets. It went after Mialee again.  
'Oh no, you don't!'  
Nala jumped in front of Mialee to protect her from the raging elemental. She saw the thing come towards her, inhaled – and used her breath weapon, exhaling a burst of orange flames at it. For a moment, the elemental looked in pain. Then the flames were sucked in by the vortex, making the air elemental light up with orange flames instead.

Great. Now it wasn't just an angry elemental, but an angry elemental made out of burning air.

On the other side, Senga had gotten up from the ground. As she threw Magic Missiles at the elemental, the twin screamed at Cedric:  
'Stop hiding, you coward! This is _your_ fault! DO something about it!'  
But the brown-haired mage was frozen behind his pillar. They would receive no help from there.

And the elemental wasn't stopping. Nala barely remained standing when it slammed into her, the winds howling and cutting into her scales. It _hurt_. Bad. From the connecting hallway, Yorda came running in as well. The half-elf's eyes grew wide upon seeing what was causing all the chaos. But her reaction was very different from everyone else.  
'No. No, let it out!'  
And she bolted towards the front door. The group didn't get a chance to ask what she was doing. As soon as Yorda reached the exit, her eyes began to glow bright. She slammed her foot on the ground- and a massive Thunderwave, stronger than they'd ever seen her do, crashed out from under her and into the door. And through it. The force of it violently broke the doors open. They were catapulted out into the desert, leaving a massive gaping hole in the wall.  
'The fuck?!'  
'Echo, watch out!'

The Tiefling wasn't fast enough. She got sucked in by the whirlwind and flung out towards the broken chandelier. The landing wasn't soft. Echo crashed right into it. The broken shards painfully dug into her skin.  
'Hey! HEY! _YOU FUCKING COWARD!'  
_ It was Senga's voice. She was screaming at Cedric, who had finally crawled out from behind his pillar. But instead of aiding the group, he fled. The mage ran towards the nearest hallway as fast as he could.

And his decision cost him. The air elemental had stopped fighting for a split second, gazing in the direction of the hole in the wall – but as soon as it saw Cedric, its rage returned. It took off after him. In a whirlwind of air, it chased Cedric into the hallway and out of sight.  
'Fuck! After it!'  
They could hear Cedric's screams from the hallway. Nala grabbed Mialee, pulling her up from the floor. Yorda did the same with Echo. They all ran to Senga, who stood at the beginning of the hallway with a murderous expression in her eyes.  
'That fucking piece of shit. When I get a hold of him, I'm going to-'

She never got to finish her sentence.

' _YAAAAAAGH!'_

* * *

 _ **BOOM!**_

* * *

The entire tower shook. Mialee and Yorda were thrown off-balance, slamming into Echo and Nala. Senga barely remained standing herself. They all stared at the hallway in shock, watching as a thin trail of smoke began to waft out.  
'What the hell just happened?' Echo squeaked. The rest could only shake their heads. They didn't know, either. Cautiously, they began to move down the hallway. The smoke was coming from around the corner. Cedric had managed to run quite a way... and then what? Had the elemental caught him?

What had happened?

They rounded the corner... and came face-to-face with Adoriil Pegasus. He was standing in the middle of the hallway, next to a very winded and frazzled Cedric, whose robes were torn to shreds. The wall opposite of them was burnt and charred, like the aftermath of an explosion. Or a fireball.

As soon as Yorda saw that, the half-elf abruptly turned around and left. They didn't get a chance to call her back. In front of them, the Archmagus spoke up.  
'An explanation, Cedric,' Pegasus said.  
'I- but they- It wasn't my-!'  
' _Now.'_

The Archmagus had drastically changed from when they first met him. He had seemed like a kind grandparent back then. Not anymore. Adoriil Pegasus towered over every single one of them, looking down on the group with an expression that was both stone cold and terrifying. Nala, Mialee and Echo immediately understood why the others respected his power so much. The Archmagus appeared completely calm - but it was the sort of calm that came just before a storm, and it showed. Cedric and Senga were both shaking at the sight.  
'There... there was a wind monster,' Mialee said, attempting to help her out. Pegasus gave a single nod.  
'I saw the elemental. It has been taken care of. What I want is an explanation of how it got here.'

At the word "elemental", Nala and Echo both piped up. They cast a glance in the direction that Yorda had vanished off to.  
'It... it was research, Archmagus,' Cedric stammered. 'Research into understanding the elemental planes, and -'  
Senga viciously cut him off.  
'No, it wasn't! _You_ summoned that thing! You took the other summoning scroll from the Arcaneum, and you hid in the Spire's restricted levels so you could stroke your own _fucking_ ego by summoning something above your power!'  
'We saw him down there,' Mialee added. 'The wind started getting pulled further in, and then Senga almost got decapitated by a door when the elemental stormed past. You did that. And then you ran away from it like a coward.'  
As she was saying this, Alatar, Telyn and Agnes, Senga's twin sister, appeared from the connecting hallway. They'd been far away when the fighting started, and had only now made it downstairs. Agnes and Alatar managed to catch most of the conversation, though. Their eyes narrowed simultaneously.  
' _Other_ summoning scroll?'  
'What do you mean, you _"saw him down there"?_ That is a restricted section. What the hell were you doing there?'  
Mialee and Senga froze at that, glancing at each other.  
'Uh...'  
'We- we were just-'

But Pegasus put his hand up, silencing both of them. A shadow had spread over his face. The Archmagus gestured at Senga and Cedric.  
'You two. My office. Now.'  
Agnes had moved up behind Cedric and Senga. She slammed a hand down on both of their shoulders, the nails digging into their skin. It looked painful.  
'I'll make sure they get there.'

She turned them around and made them march off. It looked like a walk to the gallows. As soon as they were out of sight, Pegasus turned to the remaining three.  
'I am sorry that you were caught up in this. Are you all right?'  
'Eh, we've had to deal with worse,' Echo attempted to joke. But when Pegasus made eye contact with her, his gaze was just as stone cold as when he'd looked at his students.  
'Echo, Mialee and Sarasshan, when you find him. I want all three of you up in my office by tonight. Alatar, you too.'  
'Yes, Archmagus,' Alatar nodded. Echo and Mialee shot each other a glance.  
'Why... why do you want us there?' the Tiefling tried to bluff. But Pegasus wasn't having any of it. He gave her a single hard stare, and Echo fell silent.

They knew exactly why he wanted them there.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was spent in guilty suspense. Alatar and Nala refused to let Mialee and Echo out of their sight, keeping them on lockdown for the entire day. Telyn, attempting to lighten the mood, came up with a self-composed song about Djinni. It didn't help the mood much. Only Yorda was free to roam about as she pleased. The half-elf still had that Drow's book.

She found him in the library. He was in a dark corner, reading. His white hair fell in front of his face, shrouding his features from view. As soon as Yorda approached, he tensed up again, ready to run. The half-elf kept her distance this time. She carefully placed the book on the ground.  
'I'm sorry for scaring you. It wasn't on purpose. But you look a little like me. I got overeager. I'm sorry.'  
She held up her hands as she said that. For a moment, the Drow did not seem to respond. Then he lifted his head. A pale, albino-like face framed two piercing, silver eyes. They made eye contact. Then he looked away again. Yorda smiled, and left.  
'Goodbye.'

* * *

That evening, Alatar, Sarasshan, Echo and Mialee made their way up to the Archmagus's office.  
'It was just a little prank, you know?' Echo said to Alatar on the way up. 'Nothing serious. Come on, you know us.'

The wizard did not respond. With a cold look on his face, he lead the group up to the door. Alatar gave a short knock. It was answered by Capricornicus, who once again opened the door for them. This time, their dynamic was completely different, too. Both of them were dead serious. No jabs exchanged. No snarky words uttered. Capricornicus stepped out of the way to let them in.

Besides him and Pegasus, there was one other person in the office when they arrived. Senga was just on her way out, her face pale. She made eye contact with Mialee as they passed each other. The dark-haired twin put a hand on her shoulder.  
'Good luck.'  
And she left. Capricornicus closed the door behind her. It fell shut with a soft _click_.

Pegasus once again stood in the middle of the room. He nodded to the group, once again gesturing for the chairs near his desk.  
'Sit.'  
There was not a trace of warmth in his voice this time around. They quickly sat down. Echo was wearing her poker face, but Mialee and Sarasshan were visibly nervous. Pegasus took a seat opposite of them. He looked them over for a few seconds, before letting out a weary sigh. Then he began to speak.  
'It is perfectly fine to want a tour of the Spire. You are our guests, after all. I can imagine you being curious. But sneaking off after explicitly being told not to, troubling my students and impersonating not only one of my apprentices, but me personally, is completely unacceptable.'  
The three of them shot each other a sheepish look. They could feel Alatar's gaze, burning into the back of their heads. He had stayed behind and was leaning against the wall with Capricornicus. Pegasus sighed again.  
'Explain to me why you did this.'

They stayed silent for a while. Then Echo took the lead, rising up from her chair a little.  
'We were curious. It's not every day that you get to tour a place like this. And Alatar is always so mysterious and stuck-up. Don't touch this. Don't do that. Don't go there. We just wanted to know what Alatar was being so mysterious about and didn't want us to see.'  
'And has it not occurred to you that he might have refused to show you for good reason? For privacy? For your own safety? You are _guests_.'  
Mialee wiggled around in her chair uncomfortably. Even Sarasshan looked a little guilty. But Echo did not seem to agree. With a frown on her face, she turned towards Alatar.  
'We're sorry that we snooped. But you made it far too tempting to do so. Maybe you could explain to us why we can't go somewhere next time. In detail, so we aren't tempted.'  
'I shouldn't have to,' Alatar replied with a glare. 'It's none of your business.'  
'It _was_ our business when that ruby that you refused to tell us about was attached to a monster.'  
'That was a long time ago.'  
'That wasn't even two weeks ago.'  
'Enough,' Pegasus interjected, just as Alatar was about to growl a reply. 'Enough. It does not matter. The offense is still the same. You have violated our trust and hospitality and I will have an apology. From all three of you.'

Echo deflated a little. The three of them shared another sheepish look. Like naughty children, they eventually muttered:  
'Sorry.'  
Pegasus sighed.  
'I suppose some of the blame also lies with my apprentice. Secrecy and curiosity do not go well together, after all. It is a lesson for next time.  
Now then. You.'  
His gaze shifted to Mialee. The elven ranger slumped back in her seat. The whole situation reminded her a little too much of being reprimanded as a child.  
'I am willing to accept your involvement in Senga's schemes as accidental. You were an accomplice of circumstance, while she had been scheming this little escapade for a while now. But that does not change the fact that you went into a section of the Spire of Ba'aal that was explicitly off-limits to you, while being fully aware of that fact. Not only that, but your messing with the cellar's defenses allowed the air elemental to make it to the main hall, destroy my furniture and assault my students. Incidental or not, your trespassing endangered everyone in the Spire.'  
'I didn't mean to,' Mialee replied softly. 'I was just-'  
'Curious, yes. I understand. But you need to understand that this behaviour has consequences.'  
He sighed again, looking the elven ranger in the eye.  
'You will promise to me that you will never do this again. You will be placed under restrictions for the remainder of your stay. You are not to go anywhere without the guidance of either Alatar or Capricornicus. And if you are in any way involved in any other kind of incident... all of you will be permanently banished from the Spire. I will never allow you to return, and you will be treated as hostile.  
Do I make myself clear?'  
She nodded.  
'Good. I will have Agnes prepare transportation for you out of the desert. You should all leave soon. My students are not used to this level of excitement, and you have worn out your welcome.'

* * *

Not long after that, the three of them were allowed to leave the office. The door fell shut behind them with a soft _click_.

That left just Alatar. The wizard walked towards the desk, sitting down in his usual chair before letting out a sigh.  
'That was not how I imagined this day going.'  
'It rarely is,' his mentor smiled at him. They shared a moment of silence, with Pegasus pouring the both of them a drink. Grape juice. Both of them disliked alcohol.  
'All distractions aside.., it is good to see you, Alatar,' he finally said. The wizard nodded, sipping on his drink. Now that the scolding portion of the evening was over, the two of them were a lot more relaxed.

Pegasus actually looked a little pale. Alatar knew why. Incidents like this were rare. And it wasn't entirely the party's fault. This wasn't the first time that a student had caused such a significant amount of trouble. The Spire was not used to things being like that.  
'How have you fared on your travels?'  
Alatar dug around in his pockets for a bit. Then he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a book, dusty and with eerie scribbles all over the pages. The necromancy book that had been in Dario's tower. His group had not seen him take it. Alatar had made sure that they would not find out.  
'It hasn't gone that well. Barring the shenanigans that these people get me into... I haven't made much progress yet. Information is hard to find. I did find this, though.'  
And he handed the necromancy book over to Pegasus. The Archmagus took it from him with a thoughtful frown.  
'Other than that... no results so far.'  
Pegasus nodded at him.  
'I have been searching for our lost sheep, as well. I taught him too well, I fear.'

With a slightly pained look on his face, Pegasus reached for his left sleeve. He pulled it back to reveal what was once a healthy arm. The limb was shriveled up, all the way up to his shoulder. Alatar frowned when he saw it. The last time he'd been here, it had only reached up to his elbow.  
'This curse is quite something, indeed.'  
'Galu hasn't been able to slow it?'  
'Not enough,' Pegasus replied, shaking his head. 'He tried his best, though. But as I said. I taught him too well.'

He lowered his sleeve again, blocking the arm from view. It looked like it caused him pain to do so. His expression didn't show it, though. With a warm smile, Pegasus looked at Alatar.  
'But enough of that. Your recent experiences are much more interesting to me. How do you feel about your recent companions?'  
Alatar immediately remembered all of the shenanigans up until now. He sighed, facepalming.  
'I am so sorry.'  
That made his mentor laugh. Pegasus chuckled, refilling Alatar's glass.  
'Curiosity, at least, is a good quality to possess.'  
'Yes. But it should have limits.'  
'That is true.'

Another silence fell between them. It was a comfortable silence, with both of them left to their own thoughts. Eventually Alatar put his glass down, staring out the window.  
'They are... interesting. I am not used to their level of- well, you've seen them. They're weird. Sometimes naive. But they're good people. It's good. After today I'm not so sure though.'  
Another chuckle escaped Pegasus's lips.  
'Keep them around. From what I've gathered, you will need them in the future. Did you say you were headed north?'  
'We are,' Alatar nodded. 'The Dragonborn is worried for her village. We'll probably sort out the situation there, then head back.'  
'Be careful, Alatar. Something is brewing in the north. Tensions are rising. I'm not sure what is going on... but something has happened. Or is going to happen. Something big.'  
'We've heard some troubling things, yes,' Alatar nodded to him. His thoughts trailed back to the orcs from before, in Neverwinter forest. What they had been doing. What they had said to Nala, and the ugly implications of those words.  
'Whatever it is... it's spreading to the south, as well. We can't ignore this.'  
'No. We can't.'

He and his master spent a moment in contemplating silence. It was a moment that they had shared many times in the past. But this time, no new answers came forth. Alatar let out a sigh, getting up from his chair.  
'I guess there is only one way to find out what is going on.'  
'So there is. Be careful, Alatar.'  
Alatar nodded at Pegasus. He would try. With a last sip of grape juice, the wizard began to make his way to the door.

Then he stopped.  
'One more thing. About one of the people in my group. The half-elf.'  
'Ah, the luminescent one,' Pegasus responded. Alatar gave a single nod.  
'Yes.'  
Pegasus placed his hand underneath his chin, a frown spreading on his face.  
'She appears to be Fey-touched. I'm not sure how that happened.'  
'What do you know about it?'  
But the Archmagus shook his head.  
'Painfully little, I'm afraid. It is not my area of expertise. Capricornicus, do you have any thoughts on the matter?'  
The deer had approached from his spot in the corner. His brow, too, was furrowed. He crossed his hooves in contemplation.  
'Feywild. I don't go there often. Not if I can help it. I can take a look around to see if I find anything.'  
'I would appreciate that,' Alatar nodded at him. 'Please let me know what you find.'

With that, their talk was over. Capricornicus escorted Alatar to the exit, bowing to Pegasus the whole way. The Archmage gave his apprentice a smile as he went.  
'It's good to see you, Alatar. Be careful in the north.'  
'I will.'

* * *

 _Guys my group is not meeting often enough. WHY ARE ADULT SCHEDULES SUCH A PAIN?_

 _I have half a chapter left to write before I catch up to our most recent session. Next session is scheduled for end October._


	38. Chapter 5,1 - Unwanted attention

**Chapter 5 - Scales**

 _We haven't had our next session yet. People are graduating, we have busy schedules, yadda yadda. This is the last bit I can write before I'm all caught up. For those of you who frequent D &D reddit - yes, the ones from the Barnaby post were our party. I've been waiting three months for the other shoe to drop on that one. It's maddening. xD _

_Anyway! I hope you enjoy. Feel free to leave a comment! I love hearing from people ^^_

* * *

 **Chapter 5.1 – Unwanted attention**

* * *

 **Yorda**

* * *

The next morning, Telyn and Yorda were woken up by a series of short knocks on the door. Still groggy and in borrowed pyjamas that were way too big for her, the half-elf staggered over to open the door.

She came face-to-face with the Drow from the other day. They both froze as they made eye contact. A long, awkward silence filled the air between them.

Then the Drow threw his hands forward, pushing two corked bottles into Yorda's arms. Without as much as a single word. He stepped back, still not making eye contact. The Drow hesitated, as if he was about to say something. Then he abruptly turned around and dashed off down the hallway. He was out of sight before Yorda could do so much as blink. The half-elf was left standing in the doorway, clutching two healing potions, unsure of what had just happened.  
'Who was it?' Telyn asked, still in the middle of getting ready for the day.  
'That Drow from before... I think.'  
'Oh? What did he want?'  
She looked down at the potions in her hands.  
'...I have no idea.'

It was proving to be another strange morning.

* * *

 **None**

* * *

In the following hours, the party prepared for the rest of their journey through the desert. Yorda went back to the library, leaving the Drow a little note in his dark corner. Telyn perfected her bardic song, entertaining Sarasshan and Echo as she did so. Nala and Alatar discussed the details of their journey with Pegasus. The archmagus provided them with temporary camels and sand shoes to use. Mialee was kept under tight surveillance by both Capricornicus and Agnes, unable to sneak off for any more shenanigans. Not that she would have snuck off again.  
Probably.

Around midday, the group left the Spire of Ba'aal. They were given a formal send-off from Senga, Agnes and Capricornicus.  
'There are clear skies up north,' Senga told them, handing them the reigns to the conjured camels. 'You should be able to get out of Ba'aal Kadan without a problem.'  
The woman seemed to have been stuck with a lot of menial chores to do. Agnes was still watching her like a hawk, a permanent scowl on her face. It actually looked a little comical. Nala nodded to the both of them.  
'Thank you for the hospitality. And... sorry about them.'  
'No worries! I definitely had fun,' Senga replied, winking at Mialee. That was met with a death glare from Agnes.  
'Senga.'  
'Whaaaat? It wasn't _my_ fault that Cedric decided to be an egotistical prick!'  
Echo let out a chuckle. Those two were a strange pair.

On the other side of the group, Alatar was in the middle of a hushed conversation with Capricornicus.  
'I'll see what I can find out,' the deer nodded at him.  
'Good. Keep it on the down-low.'  
'You, too.'

And they were off. On camels and with Alatar in the lead, the group set off towards their next destination.  
Nala's home village.  
Arush Vayem.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Capricornicus turned around and scowled at the twins.  
'Dear gods. Good riddance.'

* * *

It took the group another two days of travel to make it out of Ba'aal Kadan. The first day went by without issues. The group wasn't plagued by sand storms, as the twins had predicted. There were no more jackalweres, either. They seemed to have taken care of them all.

But there were other creatures within those sands.

And on the second day, they tripped over one of them.

Literally. The camels had vanished the previous night, having been magically summoned before. The party had to continue on foot. This time Nala was in the lead – and as she struggled with the sand dunes, suddenly her foot got caught on something hard. The Dragonborn smacked face-first into the ground.  
'Damn it!'  
The paladin spit out a mouthful of sand. With an angry grumble, she looked behind her to see what she had tripped on. It looked like a sharp, edged rock. A rock made of scales.  
Scales that were moving.

Nala froze. Immediately, she began to have flashbacks of a ruined city from a month ago. She couldn't speak. Not that it would have made a difference. The entire group watched as the sands around them began to roil. Something was coming up from underground.  
'Wha-?!'  
More scales rose up from the sands. A tail swept out from under Mialee and Yorda, nearly knocking them over. Then a head appeared. Then legs. The group watched in shock as a twelve-foot tall brass dragon stood up from under the desert sands, stretching its neck towards the sky.  
'Aaaaaah!'  
It stretched again, spreading its wings. Then it shook its body like a dog, spreading dusty sand everywhere. Including on the group.  
'Now that was a nice nap. I haven't slept that well in- oh?'  
It only seemed to notice the party halfway through its monologue. The dragon turned around, lowering its head and getting right up in their faces. A little too close for  
comfort, actually. Its breath had a weird, acrid odor that reminded them of rusty metal.  
'Oh, hello! I didn't see you there! Who are you? Are you travelers? Where did you come from? Where are you going? What are your names?'  
They stayed silent, gawking at the creature in front of them. Many a thought flashed back to that day in Thundertree, and Venomfang. Echo had turned a ghostly pale. The Tiefling slowly moved behind Nala, using the Dragonborn for cover.  
'N-Nala? Good or bad?!'  
But the paladin was frozen stiff out of shock. She couldn't answer. The flashbacks from Thundertree were too strong. Echo, Alatar and Mialee had similar expressions of dread on their faces.

The dragon seemed to pick up on that. It plopped down onto the sand, crossing its front paws.  
'Don't be scared! I'm not hungry. Well, I am, but that can wait! My name is Barnaby. Barnaby the Brass. Are you travelers? Where did you come from? Did you see who kicked the side of my head earlier?'  
Yorda slowly moved forward and poked Nala in the ribs. The Dragonborn gulped. This would fall to her. She cleared her throat, her voice wavering when she spoke up.  
'Y-yeah... that was, uh, me. S-sorry about that. We didn't know that you were... down there. We meant no offense.'  
The dragon nodded enthusiastically at her answer.  
'None taken, none taken! It was about time to wake up anyway. Boy, there is a lot of sand here. More than there was before I went to sleep. Was it you? Did you bring it here to play with? I love desert sands!'  
And he leapt into it, as if to prove his point. That single leap covered almost fifty feet of movement instantly. He was incredibly agile. It caught all of them off-guard, and made the group even more nervous. Nala, Echo and Telyn visibly flinched when Barnaby leapt back towards them, his claws stopping inches before their feet.  
'You went to sleep before this place was a desert?' Yorda asked, interested. She didn't seem to mind the claws.  
'How long did you sleep?'  
'Oh, ages! But that doesn't matter. I want to know about you! What are your names? Where are you from?'

It was incredibly strange to see such a large, majestic creature, jumping around like... well, like an excited puppy. To Yorda, his behaviour was similar to that of a child. She smiled in response, and introduced herself.  
'I'm Yorda.'  
'And the rest? There's a lot of you!'  
The rest of the group was a bit more hesitant. They muttered their names, Mialee still with her hands resting on her shortswords. Barnaby seemed to take an especially keen interest in Echo, who was still cowering behind the paladin, and Nala herself.  
'You're so tiny!' he spoke, as soon as the Dragonborn had introduced herself. 'Are you still a hatchling?'  
'W-what? No!' Nala stammered. 'I hatched 27 years ago- wait, I mean-'  
'So you ARE a dragon!' Yorda yelled next to her. Barnaby's tail slapped against the sands behind him, causing a perpetual sand cloud to form.  
'No, no, she can't be a hatchling at 27 years. You'd be a wyrmling! I think.'  
'Is that true? Are you a wyrmling?'  
'You people hatch from eggs?'  
'How does reproduction wo-'  
By now, Nala saw bright red in the face from shame. She threw up her hands, desperately trying to cut them all off.  
'STOP! Stop! I'm a Dragonborn- a Dragonborn, okay? Not a dragon hatchling! Now for the love of Bahamut- let's talk about something else!'  
That shut them up. Barnaby's tail stopped moving, allowing the sand and dust to settle. He nodded thoughtfully at her words.  
'Ooooooh. Yes. That makes sense.'  
By now, the group was a little bit less apprehensive. Barnaby seemed to feel that, too. He got comfortable on the ground again, eyeing them all eagerly.  
'You must all be travelers. You look like you've had a lot of adventures! I want to hear all about it.'

The group cast glances at each other. They'd already spent more time at the Spire than they'd planned. They still had no idea about the state that Nala's village might be in. It could be burning to the ground at this very moment, for all they knew. And most of the group's members were still not at ease with a dragon, metallic or not. With Echo still traumatized and hiding behind Nala, Telyn slowly moved forward.  
'We'd love to, but... um, the desert sun is pretty harsh, and we really should get going-'  
'Oh! I can help with that!'  
And he popped out his wings, catching all of them under it and shielding them from the sun. The group was smashed together like a sandwich. It was a friendly gesture from the dragon- but most of the party, who were now trapped underneath his giant brass-scaled wings, did not see it as such. Nala's hand slowly traveled towards the hilt of her weapon.  
'That's... that's very nice of you!' Telyn tried again. 'But we really should get going. We have things to do, and... w-we could come back later?'  
Barnaby's happy expression fell to a confused frown.  
'What? But you're here now! You can't leave yet. I want you to talk to me.'  
'Can't we spare a few minutes?' Yorda asked, not uncomfortable in the slightest. Alatar and Mialee powerfully shook their heads.  
'No.'  
'No, we really can't.'  
'You could... talk with us as we go?' Telyn offered. The brass dragon shook his head at that.  
'No, I like it here. We should stay here. Yes. We're going to have a good time. I love stories. Especially adventure stories. We can go underground if the sun is too hot for you. I'm pretty good at digging, you know!'  
And he began slamming his tail on the sand again, making another dust cloud form. The group threw each other looks. This was not going to end well. Slowly, Alatar began mumbling incantations under his breath-  
'I think that's a great idea!' Telyn suddenly interjected, catching them all by surprise. Including Barnaby.  
'Really?!'  
'Absolutely,' she said, her voice sounding more suggestive and honey-drenched than normal. 'But it should be more than just a talk. You have all these people here! I think that we should throw a party.'  
'I love parties,' Barnaby replied. The enthusiasm was almost tangible, and his tail slammed on the ground faster and faster. Telyn gave him a sickly sweet smile.  
'I bet you do. But we don't have any party supplies with us. Tell you what. We'll go take care of our business, and come back in... let's say in four moons. You should get the party supplies ready in the meantime. In fact, I _suggest_ that you go take care of that right now.'  
As she uttered the word "suggest", the dragon's eyes suddenly clouded over. His tail stopped moving. Yorda threw him a concerned glance. Then looked at Telyn.  
'What did you-'  
'All right!' Barnaby said happily, breaking into another smile. 'I can do that!'  
The party's mouths fell open. They stared at Telyn, who was sporting the most poker-faced smile that they'd ever seen on her.  
'Yes. Go do that.'  
Barnaby hesitated for a second, his brow furrowing.  
'Four moons. We have two moons in the sky, so that's... two days! That's very soon. I should get started. We need food. And cake. And games. And chairs to sit in to tell me all of your stories. I should get started!'  
He stepped back, releasing the group from his grasp. With a powerful beat of his wings, Barnaby the Brass pushed off from the ground.  
'I'll be back soon! This is going to be _great!'_

And with that, he flew off. His wings were so powerful that he was almost out of sight in mere moments. The party was left stunned, looking up at the desert sky with their mouths still open.

Eventually, Echo was the one that broke the silence.  
'...What the fuck just happened?'  
She turned to look at Telyn, her face still one big question mark.  
'Did... did you just tell a giant dragon to go throw us a party?'  
The bard had dropped her poker face. With a nervous glare, she gestured northward.  
'That lasts only a few hours. Guys, let's MOVE. Let's GO! While he's out of sight!'

That snapped the rest of the group out of their confusion. They grabbed their things, making a run for it. Which was a lot harder than it sounded with large sand shoes tied to their feet. They were forced to speedily penguin-waddle away. Yorda hesitated, looking back at the sky.  
'But what about the party?'  
'Are you fucking kidding?! _Come on!'  
_ A dissatisfied frown played on her face.  
'We promised.'  
'Promises are meant to be broken!' Mialee yelled, grabbing Yorda's arm and pulling her along with them. They made a break for it, removing themselves from the area as fast as they could. Putting as much distance between them and Barnaby the Brass as possible.

Before Telyn's spell ran out.

* * *

Eventually, the desert landscape began to change. Sand dunes turned into rocky ground. The air lost some of its dryness, and plants started to return. At the first cluster of trees, Mialee let out a relieved sigh.  
'Better.'

They kept going, no longer forced to penguin-waddle with the sand shoes. The rest of the journey was an uneventful one. During their rest for the day, Telyn decided to practice magic by animating a flower, leading to a long conversation about pollen jealousy. Yorda watched the scene with a confused frown.  
'Really? You'd rather talk to that flower than to the brass dragon? _Really?'  
_ The group laughed, and continued on their way.

* * *

Around twilight, the party finally made it to Nala's home. Kubasaana had been a hamlet, much tinier than they had imagined for a character like Alatar. It turned out that Arush Vayem was even smaller. They counted around a dozen huts, gathered around a leafy square with a single stone well in the middle. And that was it. To people like Telyn and Echo, it didn't look like anything.

But to Nala, it was home. The gold-scaled Dragonborn let out a sigh of relief to see her village still standing. It had been eating away at her for weeks. She could feel a giant weight lift from her shoulders.

They were safe.

The group could see a few people walking around. At this time of day, most of them were probably inside. The paladin stopped her companions from walking any further, turning around to face them with a nervous expression on her face.  
'I, uh, might have neglected to mention a few things,' she said to them.  
'What do you mean?'  
'It's just- around here, I'm... well... the villagers might respond a little-'  
Nala stopped talking when a little Tiefling girl with tiny horns, in her early teens, came around the corner of the nearest building. The two made eye contact. The Dragonborn gave her a small nod.  
'Hello, Hope.'

The moment only lasted a split second. Then the girl's eyes grew wide, and before the paladin could stop her, she yelled:  
'HOLY SHIT! IT'S NALAAAA!'  
The Dragonborn groaned. Hope's voice carried all the way through the village. For a moment, nothing happened. Then doors began to slam open, and a crowd of people ran outside.  
'Nala?'  
'Did you say _Nala?!'  
_ 'Where? Is Nala back?!'  
The young girl had run up to Nala's side, looking up at her with a giant grin on her face.  
'I knew you'd come to visit us soon! I _knew_ you would!'  
'It really is her!'  
'Nala! Look! It's _Nala!'_

The rest of the party watched, dumbfounded, as almost the entire village came running out to greet her. Nala shot the party an embarrassed, slightly apologetic look. The next moment, she was swept up in the crowd of people that gathered around her. There were humans, but just as many Tieflings and a few halflings, as well. They crowded around Nala with giant, excited smiles on their faces.  
'It's been so long!'  
'How have you been?'  
'Are you here to stay?'  
'Have you seen your parents yet?' Hope yelled, barely audible above the crowd. 'They're going to be so happy to see you!'  
'N-not yet, Hope,' Nala answered. She didn't seem to handle the crowd of people around her very well. The horned girl grinned at her again and ran off. On the other side of the paladin, the crowd suddenly parted. The villagers moved out of the way to make room for an older woman, also a Tiefling. Her pale white hair was neatly combed and tied together. Two slightly brittle-looking horns trailed the side of her head. She smiled at Nala, spreading her arms wide.  
'Nala. Welcome home, dear. It has been too long.'  
And she moved up to the gold-scaled Dragonborn, catching her in a warm embrace. Nala hugged her back.  
'It's good to see you, Calysta.'

The crowd let out an approving murmur. It was strange to see. The gold-scaled paladin, who usually stood out so very much no matter what kind of environment she was in... fit in here. Almost perfectly. A happy smile was on her face as Nala stepped back.  
'How is everyone? How have you been?'  
The Tiefling elder bowed her head.  
'Things have been... hectic, but we have endured. As always. You should go see your parents, though, Nala. I think Hope ran off to tell them already.'

Calysta's tone of voice made a worried frown appear on Nala's face. Without a word, the Dragonborn took off. Her heavy footsteps resounded throughout the hamlet as she made her way to one of the buildings. Mialee moved to follow her- but Yorda put out her arm and stopped the elf.

'Let's give her a minute.'

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

The Dragonborn still knew this place like the back of her hand. She jogged up to an old, rickety home in the very back of the hamlet. Her home. It had gotten a little ricketier since she'd last seen it. As Nala approached, she could hear voices coming from inside. One of them was the little Tiefling girl from before.  
The other one was her mother.  
'...telling you! I'm telling you!'  
'You're pulling my leg. I KNOW you're pulling my leg, Hope! We talked about this!'

Her mother sounded genuinely angry. She must have been told that very often, judging from her reaction. Nala smiled as she moved into the doorway, which was left open. Her mother was standing with her back to her.  
'She's telling the truth, mom.'

The gold-scaled Dragonborn in front of her froze. She had been holding a half-cleaned plate. Not anymore. The dish fell onto the ground with a loud clatter as Nala's mother turned around. A face that was like a mirror image of Nala's stared at her for a second, her hands reaching for her mouth in surprise. Then the woman ran towards her daughter.  
' _Nala!'  
_ She caught her in a hug, almost pushing the two of them back out the doorway. Nala tightly hugged her back. For a moment, she was almost overcome by emotion.  
It really had been too long.  
The next moment, she could hear another voice from upstairs.  
'WHAT?!'  
Her family had built the stairs going up to the second floor themselves. They creaked loudly in protest as another figure came running down, heavily stomping on the wood. Her dad, too, was a Dragonborn- a brass-scaled one. As soon as he saw his daughter, the man let out another loud yell.  
' _MA BABY GIRL!'  
_ And he ran up to the both of them, wrapping his large arms around both Nala and her mother. In full view of the entire village. And her five companions. Nala didn't care. The gold-scaled paladin let out a relieved sigh, leaning her head against her father's chest.  
'...Hi, dad. I'm home.'


	39. Chapter 5,2 - Never Have I Ever

**5.2 - Never have I ever**

 _Ermagewd we FINALLY HAD A SESSION AGAIN! I'm so happy! I was seriously starting to go through withdrawal there. Tune in for another chapter of how our idiot party... actually gets to know each other a little. After more than a year of gameplay! Woo-hoo!_

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

'...Hi, dad. I'm home.'

With a relieved sigh, Nala rested her head against her father's chest. It felt familiar. She'd done this many times as a child, when she hurt herself or had a nightmare, or was just plain sad. Her mother was always the one treating the wounds – but the emotional comfort came from her dad. It was a good feeling. Her parents hugged her tight, both with tears in their eyes. Nala knew that neither of them was an easy crier. It made her feel a little bit guilty.  
'It's been too long. I'm sorry.'  
'Don't you apologise, dear! Oh, come here. Let me look at you.'  
Her mother put her hands on the sides of Nala's head, turning her to face the sunlight. Nala's face was a mirror version of her own, though her mother's scales had dulled a bit with age.  
'Oh, it's so good to see you again, Nala. Have you been on the road long? Your scales are all coarse. Are you eating all right? I know how tiring it is to be on the road all day. Especially passing through the desert. There were sandstorms the other day. Did you pass through one of those? Are you thirsty? We're just about to have dinner! Why don't you come in and have a bite?'  
Nala's mouth began to water at the thought of her mother's cooking. Then she remembered that she'd brought six other people with her to Arush Vayem. The Dragonborn frowned.  
'I'd love to, but... I have a lot of friends with me, and-'  
'That's what the extension is for!' her father beamed. Nala raised a single eyebrow.  
'What extension?'  
'Oh, you're going to love it! I started on it when you left. It's got a sturdy roof, and I added windows to give a big view of the fields! It turned out _great!'  
_

The excited look on his face was enough to show how proud he was of his latest project. Her dad had a habit of tinkering on their house. He'd built Nala's room himself. The stairs leading up to it, too. He wasn't a master carpenter, and her home was a little rickety as a result... but she wouldn't trade it for anything.  
It was good to be home.  
'How many friends did you bring?' her dad asked.  
'Six of them,' Nala replied. 'I left them at the town entrance. There's an elf-'  
'Six elves, right? Got it! I'll go fetch them!'  
'No, I mean-'

But he had already run off. Oh, well. Arush Vayem was incredibly small – everyone knew everyone, and everyone could immediately tell if there was someone that didn't belong there. That misunderstanding wouldn't last long.

* * *

Not long after that, her mother and father had herded everyone into the kitchen extension and sat them down for dinner. Nala introduced them to her group – their names were Ravoroth and Belgwen Fennorae, two of the, very few, Dragonborn in Arush Vayem. Both of them were over the moon with their daughter being home, and bringing so many people with her. In the blink of an eye, their humble meal for two had turned into a feast large enough to feed ten people two times over. And then some. It was a good meal, too.

As soon as everyone had eaten their fill, Alatar turned to Nala's mother with a smirk, remembering how his own mother embarrassed him just a few days ago. It was time for revenge.  
'Soooo, Belgwen. Any stories of what Nala here was like as a child? I bet she got into a **lot** of trouble.'  
Nala shot him an angry glare. She knew exactly what he was fishing around for. But her mother shook her head with a smile on her face.  
'Oh, I'm sure that Nala would prefer not to share things like-'  
'Oh, she was an adventurous kid! Always running around covered in muck and up to Bahamut knows what. Do you remember that time she-'

Belgwen raised her hands to cut him off, but it was too late. Ravoroth had already started rambling out story after embarrassing story, with a smile so big and proud it was almost comical. Nala's scales turned a shade darker. She groaned, burying her head in her hands. The gesture was met with a smirk from Alatar. Just a few days ago, it had been the other way around.  
It made this all the more fun.

'What's it like living so close to the desert?' Yorda eventually asked, saving Nala from the cringeworthy stories. Alatar, Echo and Ravoroth all looked disappointed, but Belgwen quickly took her up on the chance to change subjects.  
'Oh, we're used to it. Most of the time, the wind blows in from the north, so the sand really doesn't bother us that much. Nala told me you walked through it, instead of taking the road. Those desert sandstorms can be rough. Did you all make it through all right?'  
'Oh, yes!' Yorda nodded enthusiastically. 'It was great. There were shapeshifting Jackalweres, and we fought two Manticores, and there was a beautiful Lamia, and we even met a Brass dragon, just like Ravoroth! Only this one had a tail. And wings. Why don't you have a tail?'  
That seemed to take them by surprise. The brass dragonborn shot Nala an uncertain look, before replying:  
'I am not a dragon, you know.'  
Nala just shook her head, facepalming.  
'Don't bother. I've been trying to tell her that for two months now.'  
'This place is even smaller than your village, Alatar,' Echo thought out loud. 'I didn't think villages could even get this tiny. How many people do you have here?'  
'Oh, a few dozen. Twenty-two, if you count the children. Many of them are outcasts, who came here looking for acceptance. We're very tight-knit as a result. Everyone has their role to play, and we all help each other out. It's not for everyone, but... It's a good place to call home.'  
Her parents exchanged a warm look with each other. There was a lot of love there. Even the rest of the party, who really didn't know either of them, could see that. Nala really didn't want to interrupt that warmth with questions about what they'd seen in the south. She was finally home. It finally felt right. She didn't want to break that feeling.  
Yes. They could ask in the morning. So Nala stayed silent, enjoying the warm embrace of being home.

But that wasn't why there were here. And, of course, someone else decided to step up and break it for her.  
'So... everything is all right here? No hardships? Nothing to worry about?'  
Nala saw her mother and father exchange a sideways glance, before they quickly covered for each other with:  
'Oh, you know. Just the usual village hardships.'  
'Does anyone want dessert? I'd like some dessert. I think the next course is ready.'

But the warmth was gone, and their body language had changed. The gold-scaled Dragonborn was pretty good at reading her family. The way her dad's shoulders tensed. The way her mom's tail twitched when she quickly got up and left for the kitchen. Something was wrong. Just as she had been afraid of. Nala could feel a heavy weight press down onto her stomach. Then she steeled herself, and made eye contact with Ravoroth.  
'Dad. I'm not a little girl anymore. You don't need to protect me. Tell me what is going on.'  
The two of them held eye contact for a second. Nala didn't flinch, her back straight and her chin held up high. It actually made her a little taller than Ravoroth. When her father saw that, he let out a deep sigh.  
'Yes... you're right. It's just easy to forget that sometimes. I still think of you as my little girl, you know?'  
'I know,' Nala replied softly. 'But we're here to help. So tell me what is going on, dad.'  
He let out another sigh, nodding at her.  
'All right. I wish I didn't have to tell you, but it looks... it looks like we're in for a repeat of what happened 15 years ago.'

The gold-scaled dragonborn balled her hands up into fists. That was not good news. That was not good news at all. The rest of the party shot Nala confused looks, as nobody knew what Ravoroth was talking about. Of course, they didn't. Because Nala had deliberately kept that information from them. Ravoroth noticed their puzzled looks, too. He gestured towards the group.  
'How much do they know?'  
Nala shook her head.  
'Nothing.'  
'Well... I suppose I'll have to start from the beginning, then.'  
The brass dragonborn let out another deep sigh. He reached for his mug and pulled it towards him, wrapping his scaly, clawed hands around the wood. They looked rough, even for a dragonborn.

'There was... an incident. Many years ago. That involved our people. When Nala was a little girl, our village got caught in the middle of escalating hostilities between Ocendra and Fortis Dolen. Arush Vayem isn't worth anything to either of them. We don't belong to anyone. But because our village lies right in the middle and near the southern border with Faeruin, it became interesting to both of them. If either city captured it, it would become a strategic outpost against the other one, and against the south.'

He stared into his mug. It was very noticeable how Ravoroth had gone from an exited, happy-go-lucky and bouncy father to a dragonborn whose eyes had turned dark, and whose frown was almost bigger than his smile had been. It was a staggering transformation.

'In those days, our village was harassed by both sides. Especially Ocendra was ruthless. They used to extort us for money, "for the war effort". When we had no more money, they started to demand materials. Then personal belongings. Then produce. We were pressured to contribute more and more, until we started having trouble feeding ourselves. Eventually, we had nothing left. Our village was starving. So we refused. After all, we had nothing. We figured that they might let us off the hook if we told them that.  
We weren't so lucky. As it turned out... we had one more thing that they wanted to take.'  
He took a big swig of his mug of ale. They'd seen Nala down her drinks in the exact same way.  
'They came after our people. They tried to take them away. The strongest men. Our women. Our children. I don't know if they wanted to use them for physical labour, or whatever else they had in mind, but... it turned into a bloodbath. We lost so many people that day.'  
He wasn't making eye contact with any of them, but Nala could see her father's eyes begin to water.  
'I almost lost my little girl that day.'

Nala had vivid memories of that day, herself. The screams. The blood spreading across the sandy ground. The dark figure that she faced, alone. The sensation of being pierced by a weapon that was bigger than her entire torso, and the life slowly leaving her body. The dragonborn reached out, placing her own hand over her father's. He grabbed hold of it and gave it a squeeze.  
'How did you survive?' Mialee asked. Ravoroth threw Nala a sideways glance.  
'We were saved. L'Ordini di Paladini from Fortis Dolen happened to send a group on patrol that day. They witnessed the raid on our village. They came down to help. They defeated their leader, and fought the raiders until they retreated. They healed everyone that they could save with their magic. Including Nala. They saved my little girl.'

This was new information for all of them. Nala could see her companions, all in different states of processing what was being told by Ravoroth. Yorda and Alatar's minds were the fastest. The gold-skinned Dragonborn could see both of them looking at her with expressions that she had come to know very well by now. But Alatar spoke first.  
'Is that why you decided to become a paladin? Did you join their order? Las Paladinas?'  
She gave him a single nod.  
'I did.'  
That was all she wanted to say about it. Alatar accepted her answer, nodding as well. Yorda and Echo did not seem as satisfied. But before either of them could open their mouth, Ravoroth continued talking.  
'That was the incident from 15 years ago. Both Ocendra and Fortis Dolen have left us alone since then. I don't know if it was an actual agreement or just an unspoken promise. And I don't care. We have been living in peace, and that's all we want. But lately... tensions have been rising again.'  
'What happened?' Nala asked him. Her father let out another sigh, looking very uncomfortable.  
'The armies of Fortis Dolen and Ocendra are very aware of where the other one patrols. They always stay a certain distance from each other. Lately we've seen them crossing into each other's territory. Repeatedly. On purpose. They are getting closer to our village, as well. I fear that we might be roped into the same situation as before by either one of them a second time.'  
'Why would they do that?' Telyn asked. 'And why do they insist on fighting each other in the first place? Can't they just play nice?'

There it was. Nala let out a dissatisfied growl, remembering her research in the Spire of Ba'aal. It had stood out to her then, and hearing this story from her father only further cemented her suspicions.  
'That is the strangest part of all this. I found a couple of books detailing the hostilities between Fortis Dolen and Ocendra back in Alatar's tower. According to history, their conflict has been going on for hundreds of years. And nobody remembers what started it.'  
'Whoa,' Alatar interrupted her. 'Hold up. _Nobody?_ In any of those books? Not even conflicted records? That can't be right. Are you sure you didn't miss a passage, or something?'  
'I'm sure,' Nala replied. 'I double-checked. There was nothing else. No records. No mentions. Nothing. Nobody knows.'  
'That is really strange,' Telyn agreed. Yorda nodded as well. The pale half-elf frowned, thinking.  
'There are always two stories to a fight. One of them vanishing. But if both of them are gone, then someone erased them.'

That ominous sentence hung in the air for a while. It was not a pleasant thought. But it seemed to click with something that had been on Ravoroth's mind. He gave a contemplative nod. His shoulders had relaxed again, but he still wasn't comfortable.  
'We've had our suspicions for a while now, but... I think someone might be playing the two of them against each other. On purpose. To keep them at war. Someone might be orchestrating events in the shadows.'  
'Why would they do that?' Mialee thought out loud.  
'I don't know, little elf. When we find that out, it would blow this whole thing wide open. It might even be enough to put an end to all of this. But that's the problem... we don't know.'

A short silence fell. Everyone was lost in thoughts, processing events in their own way. It was a lot to take in. A lot that she hadn't told them, too. Telyn was actually taking notes. Or maybe they were musical notes. Nala couldn't tell from here. On the other side of the table, she made eye contact with Yorda- who immediately voiced her thoughts to her and Ravoroth.  
'I don't understand. If it is this dangerous, then why are you still here? Why don't you leave? There is plenty of room in the south. We just cleared out an entire mansion in Phandalin. That village is big enough for all of you. And then some.'  
But Ravoroth shook his head at her, making a dissatisfied noise.  
'The South is under control of the Lord's Alliance. They tend to have... rather constricting rules for their citizens. The people in Arush Vayem value what we have here. We're a community. If we were to leave, we'd all be outcasts again. Many people don't want that.'

That did not seem to satisfy the little half-elf at all. She frowned. Echo shared her expression. The Tiefling leaned forward on the table, pointing towards the north.  
'Then why don't you just pick a side? Ally with Ocendra or Fortis Dolen. That takes care of everything, doesn't it?'  
'It's not that simple,' Nala growled.  
'Yes, it is. You just said that your paladin order is in Fortis Dolen. And that they saved you once already. Why can't they do that again?'  
'They are not what you think they-'  
'Why don't you ally with them, and move in until the war blows over?'  
'Our people can't live-'  
'I'm not saying permanently, I just mean for a little while until-'  
But Nala had had enough. She let go of her father's hand, rose up to her full height and pointed at Echo.  
'In Fortis Dolen, your kind dies.'

A shocked silence fell across the room. Everyone was dumbstruck, staring at Nala as she pointed out the Tiefling among them. Echo was just as shocked. But she recovered the fastest. Slowly, a dark shadow spread across her face, after which she broke eye contact. Nala had never seen that expression on her before.  
'What... what do you mean?' Telyn eventually asked. 'What do you mean, "her kind dies"?'  
Nala and Ravoroth shared a heavy look with each other, before the brass dragonborn once again took the lead.  
'Fortis Dolen is a very religious nation. The city even more so. Because of your friend's... fiendish lineage, they have erected a rule regarding the presence of Tieflings within their borders.'  
'Which is?' Alatar replied. Nala stared him right in the eyes as she answered.  
'Which is that Tieflings are forbidden. It means that when they find them, they make them pay for their existence. It means that they get killed on sight.'

Echo's eyes darkened even more. The rest of the group shot each other uncomfortable looks. They remembered Hope, the little Tiefling girl. And the elder, who had hugged Nala. And many of the others in this village. Going to Fortis Dolen was out of the question for all of them.

Eventually, Telyn piped up with:  
'But... but isn't that paladin order in that city too? Didn't they save this village before? Aren't you a part of their order, Nala?'  
But the gold-scaled dragonborn shook her head. Dark memories pressed against the edges of her mind. She clenched her jaw and pushed them away.  
'Not anymore.'

Another ominous silence fell. Everyone had picked up on that. They remained silent this time, something that Nala was grateful for. Opening up already wasn't her thing to begin with, and she definitely did not want to go that far down her own memories. Her father taking the lead with explaining had helped a lot. Even though he, too, still left some things out. Apparently, it ran in the family.

'Okay, so Fortis Dolen is out of the question,' Alatar eventually piped up. 'In that case, what about their enemies? You could ally with Ocendra.'  
But Ravoroth shook his head, powerfully this time.  
'The army from Ocendra is the one that raided us in the first place. They are the ones responsible for many deaths in our village. We will not ally ourselves with the murderers of our loved ones.'  
'...Okay. That makes sense, yeah.'  
'Yes. And we cannot go to Fortis Dolen. As such, you can see our predicament. Arush Vayem is caught between two big, angry dogs that both want to tear things apart.'  
'There's more, dad,' Nala softly interrupted. 'More than what you've seen here. My group and I encountered a hostile band of orcs in the south, near Neverwinter. I wouldn't have given them a second glance – but their leader said something to me when he died.'  
She took a deep breath, knowing the effect that this was going to have on both of her parents. Then she spoke.  
'He said that the High King of the North was going to kill us all.'

In the kitchen, they could suddenly hear something breaking. They all glanced towards the entrance – and Ravoroth jumped up out of his chair, as if he had been zapped by lightning.  
'Riiiiiiiight! Well, it was very good to meet you all! Surely you've had a long day- why don't you all go relax in the tavern, yes? Nala, show them where it is! Or wait, **I'll** show you where it is! Let's go, everyone! Come on, come on!'

And he began pushing all of them towards the exit. There were six of them, but Ravoroth somehow managed to manhandle EVERYONE at the same time. The group barely managed to get a glimpse into the kitchen before they were pushed out the door. Belgwen was standing in the middle of the room, with a broken plate by her feet. A plate made out of stone. It hadn't shattered on the floor. She'd broken it in half. They could see steam rising up from her nostrils, very much resembling Nala when she was angry.  
There was definitely a story there.

But Ravoroth did not seem in the mood to tell it. He pushed them away from his house, back in the direction that they'd come from.  
'We have a very good bar! You'll like it, I'm sure. It's high time you all took a break from adventuring, yes? Yes! Let's go!'

And he actually picked up speed, herding them away like sheep. Yorda and Mialee had to fall into a jog to keep up. As they moved, the pale half-elf yelled at him:  
'Wait- is it a tavern? Or a bar?'  
'Yes!'  
That made them chuckle. With a smirk, Alatar said:  
'I see where Nala gets it from.'

* * *

 **None**

* * *

Arush Vayem was barely big enough to be called a hamlet, but nevertheless it had an actual tavern for travelers. It also functioned as a bar. The place probably got more business for the bar than for the tavern. Ravoroth herded them all in, and then left with the notion that he had to return to his wife.

The first thing they noticed when they went in was that Sarasshan the Djinni was already there. Already drunk. And already on the verge of collapsing on a random table.

The second thing they noticed was the barkeep. It was a hulking figure, with light blue skin and wildly untamed blue hair. He almost reached up to the ceiling. Two floppy cow-ears framed his round, muzzled face and his mouth was hidden behind a bushy brown beard. Nonetheless, everyone could see a big smile appear as the Firbolg recognised his old friend.  
'Nala Fennorae. Now **that** is a rare sight.'  
'It's good to see you again, Ralo,' Nala smiled at him. 'Do you still have that dwarven brandy?'  
'For you? Absolutely.'

He barely fit behind the counter. Everyone who had never seen a Firbolg before watched in fascination as he began to pour all of them drinks. His hands were huge – but he moved in a way that was surprisingly delicate, and even with the tinier mugs and glasses, it did not look unnatural at all.  
'Here you go, Nala. Welcome home.'  
'It's good to be back.'  
'You are very tall,' Yorda said, smiling up at him in fascination as he handed her a drink as well. The Firbolg chuckled at her words.  
'And you are very shiny. It is a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Ralolamin. Please, make yourselves at home. Any friends of Nala's are friends of mine.'

And he began pouring drinks for all of them, refusing their money when Telyn tried to pay. When he got to Alatar, his bottle of brandy was empty.  
'Oh, dear. Hold on. I should have more in the back.'  
Alatar tried to ask for grape juice, but the Firbolg had already made his way behind the counter and through the door. They could hear a dog bark in there. Loudly. Nala smiled, and yelled out:  
'Shaggy!'

Something burst through a makeshift doggy door, that was really just a big hole covered up with a sheet. A small brown mastiff bounced into the room. Its hair was wild and looked like a fuzzy mop in dire need of brushing. As soon as he saw Nala, his tail began to wag uncontrollably. The mopstiff ran over to her, jumping with joy. He jumped up on his hind legs and immediately began licking her hands.  
'Easy, Shaggy. Good boy. Down. _Down._ _ **Shaggy**_ _.'_

Shaggy was not listening at all. It seemed to be a common thing with this dog. He kept licking Nala's fingers, trying to jump up on her lap. The dragonborn did not seem to mind. Before too long, Ralolamin came back with an armful of bottles. A literal armful. They could see brandy, wine, ale, something reddish and something that looked suspiciously much like a desert version of slime in the coconut. Apparently, Nala's love for alcohol was well known here. It made Alatar and Echo chuckle.  
'I haven't seen you in months, Nala,' Ralo said, as he was filling up everyone's glasses. 'How have you been? You brought in a lot of new faces. How did all of you meet? And where did you leave your other friends?'  
'Wait, what other friends?'  
Yorda had spoken for all of them. They looked up at Nala with a confused expression. The gold-skinned dragonborn shrugged.  
'Oh, right. I never told you. I was with two people in Neverwinter before I ran into Echo. We went our separate ways before that.'  
It did not seem to mean much to Nala. But the rest of the group was quite surprised. To say the least.  
'Wait, you left them in the prison?'  
'...Prison?'  
'Of course not!' Nala sputtered. 'That was before that!'

Ralolamin raised a single eyebrow, silently asking for a response. Nala tried her best to ignore it. But she couldn't ignore the rest of the group. With an intrigued voice, Yorda asked:  
'Wait, really? You were with people before us? How many? And what else don't we know about you?'  
This was met with a confused stare from Ralolamin. He had retreated to the bar, but as they were the only ones in his tavern at the moment, they were easy to overhear.  
'It sounds like you're not all that familiar with each other yet at all. When did you all meet? A few days ago?'  
'More like two months ago,' Echo shrugged. Ralo raised a single eyebrow.  
'Really? And you still don't know details like this?'  
'Don't judge us. Most of us literally met in prison. We had a VERY rocky start.'  
'In _prison?'  
_ Nala quickly slammed her mug on the table, asking for a refill while yelling out:  
'Riiiiiiight! Let's not go there. It was all a misunderstanding! We're fine now. But yes. I suppose that there are still many things that I haven't really told you about. And that goes for all of you, too. We don't really know much about each other.'  
Mialee shrugged at that, leaning back in her chair.  
'I didn't think anyone was interested.'  
On the other side of the table, Yorda twitched.  
'Excuse me?'

It looked like she was about to say something else– but Ralolamin beat her to it, joining the table with yet another bottle of brandy and a wide smile on his cow-eared face.  
'Ooooh, I have just the thing for that. The perfect game. Are you all familiar with "Never Have I Ever"?'  
Immediately, Echo's and Telyn's eyes lit up. Mialee and Alatar seemed indifferent, and Yorda's expression was one of confusion.  
'What game is that?'  
'It's very simple- it's a drinking game. You take turns saying a statement – anything that you can think of. And if any of the other players have ever done it, they need to drink. It's a great game for getting to know each other.'  
'I love this game,' Echo chimed in, with a familiar glimmer of mischief in her eyes. 'This is going to be great. Come on, guys. Let's give it a go.'

The others seemed up for it, as well. Before too long, they had all gotten a new mug – a big one this time. Even Alatar agreed to play. With his normal distaste for alcohol, that was a big event. It made the rest even more eager.

Mialee got to go first. She frowned for a bit, thinking about what to say. Then she nodded to herself and raised her mug.  
'Never have I ever set someone on fire, on purpose, outside of combat.'  
And she promptly drank from her own mug. Not only her – Yorda and Echo took a sip, too. The sight of it made Alatar smirk at all three of them.  
'Why am I not surprised?'

Nala was next up at the table. Her gaze trailed to Echo and Mialee, who were seated next to each other. A suspicious frown played on her face. Slowly, the dragonborn raised her mug. Her eyes turned to daggers as they glared at the elf and Tiefling.  
'Never have I ever eaten someone else's chicken.'  
Telyn was the first to drink, but her answer was not the one that the group was suddenly VERY interested in. The Tiefling and the elf shared a glance. They stayed frozen for a split second. Then both of them reached for their mugs, and drank.  
'I KNEW IT! DAMNIT, THAT WAS A PET!'  
'Hey, we never said it was _your_ chicken,' Echo grinned. That didn't work. With the face of an angry school teacher, Nala turned to Mialee.  
'Mialee, did you eat Kippei?'  
The elven ranger nodded, a guilty look on her face.  
'Sorry.'  
'I knew it! Damn it, Mialee!'  
There was no smoke coming out of her nostrils, but it was close. Nala leaned back in her chair, angrily mumbling about chicken betrayals.

Then came Alatar's turn. With the chicken intervention just before, the wizard had gotten a moment to think about his question. He raised his mug, slyly looking from one person to the other.  
'Never have I ever blamed someone else for something that I did.'  
And he drank from his own mug. Echo took a sip as well, followed shortly after by Telyn.  
'Okay. We're never going to learn more about each other if we don't start asking for clarification. You first, bard.'  
And all attention was suddenly on Telyn. Normally she did great in the spotlight – but this time seemed to make her nervous.  
'Well... this, this was a long time ago, okay? I was just a kid, and I've never done it again since!'  
'I shudder at the mere thought,' Echo said sarcastically. 'So, what did you do?'  
'Well, there were these apple trees. And I was really hungry. But my grandparents wouldn't let me buy any. So, I... I climbed the tree and stole some of them! And blamed the neighbor boy. I don't know if he got in trouble or not. But I've never done something like that again!'

She seemed convinced that it was the absolute epitome of wickedness. Echo did not seem to agree. She looked a little disappointed and highly amused at the same time.  
'What about you, then? Ladies first.'  
'Says the one in the dress.'  
That earned her a bellowing laughter from Ralolamin. But Alatar was insistent, and so Echo went first with a shrug.  
'Back in Baldur's Gate, I'd taken a job to "liberate" a unicorn horn from a wizard's house. At the time, I didn't realize how valuable it was. The job soon proved to be more trouble than it was worth. I knew a guy that deserved to take the fall for it. So, I planted evidence that led right to his doorstep. He should still be serving time in jail. I'm all right with that.'

That silenced some of the people at the table. Especially Nala and Telyn seemed taken aback. Alatar almost looked reassured by it, though.  
'Well, now I don't have to worry about my story being the worst.'  
'What did you do?' Mialee smirked. The Wizard gave a shrug. Then an awkward expression appeared on his face, and he began scratching the back of his head.  
'I might have maaaaaaaybe tempered with the runes on the tower a bit when I was younger? Enough to permanently alter the inscribed incantation? Which caused the entire barrier to collapse during a sandstorm that lasted more than a week and buried the whole tower?'  
Echo let out a loud "Ha!" as the rest chuckled. They remembered Alatar's unnatural stiffness at following the tower's rules very well. A young, mischievous Alatar was a strange thing to imagine.  
'So? Who did you blame?'  
'My, uh, my adopted younger brother.'  
'You have a brother?!' Mialee yelled out. The wizard scratched the back of his head again, causing his hood to slide off.  
'I mean, not actual _adopted_ brother. Or brother at all. We just grew up together. It was a kid thing. He's a human, so he actually looks much older than me now. I think he's in his... early seventies by now? Can't really call him younger anymore. Or a brother.'  
'Hey, you can choose whoever you want to be family,' Nala kindly interjected. 'Blood has nothing to do with that at all. Just look at my village.'  
'Or my clan,' Mialee added. That earned her a tiny smirk from Alatar.  
'Shouldn't you all be related by this point, anyway?'  
'That's not- you know what I mean, damnit!'

Telyn had been eagerly waiting for her turn, already having a question in mind. As soon as Alatar gave her the go-ahead, she threw it out on the table.  
'Never have I ever had a big crush on someone!'  
A short silence fell – and then everyone but Yorda raised their mugs and drank. Including Ralolamin at the counter. They hadn't even finished their sips yet before Telyn had already put hers back on the ground.  
'Well? Who was it?!'  
She was looking at Ralo, who had suddenly become a part of the game. The blue-haired Firbolg let out a long sigh.  
'It was... it was someone in the village. It wouldn't have worked out, though.'  
And he gave Nala a little smile. Yorda immediately picked up on it. The pale half-elf slowly looked from Ralo to the dragonborn and back.  
'Was it Nala? Did you have a crush on Nala?'  
Ralo stayed silent for an uncomfortable length of time. Then he sighed again.  
'No, not Nala.'  
That seemed to be all he was willing to say about it. He pointed at Alatar.  
'Your turn, little mage.'

Alatar was anything but little – but compared to Ralo, they all looked like children. It was a strangely familiar sensation. Butch gave them the exact same feeling whenever they visited his inn. The half-elf wizard laughed, grabbing for his mug.  
'Her name was Evelyn. She was a fellow mage in the tower. I was young. And she was pretty. You know how it goes.'  
'Oooooooh,' Telyn teased him. Echo, Mialee and Nala snickered as well, with the dragonborn adding:  
'Is she still there? Could we have met her the other day?'  
Alatar shook his head.  
'No. She died during an accident in the tower. She's been dead for years now.'  
He frowned, thinking to himself for a moment. Then the wizard crossed his arms and nodded.  
'Now that you mention it, I guess the tower is a little dangerous, after all.'  
'Gee, you think?!' Echo yelled out. Telyn followed that up with:  
'Wait, are you telling me that people actually died from incidents like that air elemental?'  
'It comes with the territory. We are working with dangerous magic. Accidents happen. It isn't common, though. Can we move on to the next person now?'

The rest of the group shot each other unbelieving glances. But they did as Alatar asked, and moved on.  
'Mialee? What about you?'  
'My, eh, my teacher,' the brown-haired elf replied, somewhat awkwardly. 'Back when I was still with my clan. 'It probably wouldn't have worked out anyway, though.'  
'Couldn't get teacher to notice you?' Echo teased her.  
'Shut up.'  
Mialee gave them an embarrassed frown, and quickly broke eye contact with the group. It was already too late, though. Telyn giggled at the sight.  
'Yorda?'  
'Haven't had one. Next.'  
'Wha- really?'  
'Really.'  
'Okay, then. Echo?'  
The Tiefling broke eye contact for a change, lazily gazing out of the nearest window.  
'Someone from Baldur's Gate. It… didn't work out.'

That seemed to be all that Echo was willing to say about it. There was definitely a story there – but by now, the rest of the group knew Echo well enough to know when not to pry. So, they moved on to the last person in line – Nala. The gold-scaled dragonborn awkwardly scratched the back of her head.  
'You've eh, you've met them before, actually.'  
That caught all of their attention. The rest of the group leaned forward on the table, eager to find out.  
'Really? Who? Was it in Neverwinter?'  
'No, it was in Phandalin.'  
'Nine hells, it isn't ALSO Daran, is it? That half-elf is NOT that handsome.'  
The paladin let out a chuckle.  
'No, no. It was Quelleen. Quelleen Alderleaf.'

A short silence fell.  
After which everyone at once yelled out:  
'WHAT?!'  
'Wait, wait, wait, that halfling woman?'  
'The little halfling?'  
'You swing that way, Nala?'  
'Wait, how does that even work with the size and-'  
'RIGHT! NEXT!' Nala shouted out. At the bar, Ralolamin chuckled to himself. There were a few other patrons in the bar by now – but the party was making such a racket that they were barely noticeable. Ralo didn't seem to mind. If anything, the Firbolg looked to be highly enjoying himself. He was even humming a little.

Yorda was up next. The pale half-elf thought to herself for a second, after which a crooked smile spread on her face.  
'Never have I ever told a lie.'  
The entire table let out something between snorts and chuckles. All of them except Yorda grabbed for their drinks, lifted them and took a big swig. Alatar and Echo almost downed their entire mug. The pale half-elf looked at the display with a single raised eyebrow. Alatar was the first one that caught on.  
'No way. Never?'  
The druid shook her head.  
'No. Never.'  
'Why not?' Echo asked, curiously. 'Do you mean that you can't?'  
'Yes. I never lie- I might as well stop breathing. You see-'  
'Waaaaaaiiiiit,' Alatar interrupted. 'No way. There's **no** **way** that you haven't lied **once** since we met you.'  
That only made her smile widen further, making it look like a slightly disturbing grin. They weren't used to that expression on her.  
'Hid the truth, maybe. Avoided being honest. Manipulated you into reaching the conclusions that I wanted you to reach. But I never lie. The strength of our word is all we have, after all.'

As she talked, Alatar's questioning expression was slowly replaced by a dark look in his eyes. The rest didn't seem to notice, though. They shrugged, noting it down under the usual weird shenanigans, and moved on.

* * *

As people got progressively more drunk, the questions started getting progressively weirder. At some point, Echo asked the group if they'd made use of the "services" of a brothel. That led to innuendos of Telyn _offering_ the "services" of a brothel. Then to Nala having made use of _multiple_ "services", and, surprisingly, Mialee not knowing what these "services" meant. At more than 200 years of age. The table got even rowdier than it had already been. It was fantastic. Everyone was having a blast.

'Owkay, owkay,' Mialee slurred. By now, she was flat-out drunk and swaying back and forth in her seat. 'My turn.'  
'Yes, Mialee, the rest of us have actually had sex before. Probably.'  
'Dasssnot what I wanna know! I wanna know about,' she hiccupped, almost spilling the contents of her drink on the floor, 'I wanna know about… never haf I ever… had contact wif a being from another plane of exxxistence. _*hic*_ '

Echo and Alatar were getting pretty tipsy as well – but not as badly as Mialee. The group shot each other a glance – after which everyone but Alatar raised their mugs and drank. Mialee's eyes widened comically.  
'Whaaaaaat? Really? Telyn, whod'ya meet?'  
The bard laughed nervously, shrugging on the other side of the table.  
'Well, with all of the creatures that we've fought so far, I wouldn't find it strange if there were a few from other dimensions in there. I mean, did you see that Lamia?'  
That didn't seem to be what the ranger was looking for. She huffed, turning to Nala instead.  
'Whadd'bout you, then?'  
'You already saw my camel before,' the paladin laughed. 'That one is summoned from another plane. That's about it, though. What are you looking for?'  
'Noooo, not somethin' you summon! Somethin'… somethin' else!'

She dramatically turned in her chair, pointing at Echo. A little too fast. This time her drink did spill. All over the floor, actually. It was probably for the best. Any more drinking and the ranger would likely collapse on the table. Ralo shook his head, snapping his fingers to magically make the puddle go away.  
'Whadd'ya meet, Echo?'

The Tiefling gave a wicked smile, her tail swishing in the air behind her.  
'I met a Fiend. A real one. Out in the desert. We had a nice talk about shirking parental duties.'  
'What, did you meet your daddy?' Alatar teased. Echo raised a single eyebrow in response.  
'I never said that it was male.'  
But it was too late. Mialee had already engraved the words in her drunken mind.  
'A demon in the dessert.'  
'Desert.'  
'Yeah, dash wha' I said! You probably met your dad. No need to be all myschterious 'bout that, Echo.'  
The smirk on Echo's face widened, showing her sharp teeth. Alatar and Mialee seemed convinced that they'd guessed right, though. So Echo merely shrugged and kept silent.

'Owkay, next to ask a question is-'  
'Wait a minute!' the Tiefling interrupted Mialee, just as she was about to pass the torch to Nala. 'We haven't asked Yorda yet.'  
'I don't mind,' the pale half-elf smiled at Echo. But she shook her head at her.  
'You keep dodging every question we throw at you. I want details, damnit. 'Fess up.'  
'All right-'  
'And NO ELEMENTALS ALLOWED! We already know about the earth elemental incident.'  
Yorda's smirk widened, until it was almost a mirror version of Echo's. The little half-elf seemed to be enjoying herself.  
'Are you sure? Because getting to know Alu and Yuula was so much fun. But that's all right. If you don't want to know-'  
'Tell us, damnit!'  
She chuckled at Echo's frustration.  
'Alu was a water elemental that I met a few years ago, near the Delimbiyr river. She – and a couple of others – were my teachers. I learned magic from them. Alu taught me how to manipulate water. Of course, she also tried to drown me a few times. Many elementals don't realize that gravity is a thing. Or that people need air, and can burn. Alu got the message eventually, though. She was nice.'

Yorda smiled, a gentle expression in her eyes from the memory. Echo huffed and nodded.  
'Fine. I guess that counts-'  
'WAIT!' Nala suddenly yelled, jumping up from her chair and startling everyone. Mugs went flying everywhere.  
'What?!' Telyn yelped at her. The dragonborn was frantically flailing her arms at Mialee.  
'I FORGOT ABOUT BAHAMUT!'

That took a second to sink in with everyone. Then everyone at the table began roaring with laughter. Alatar almost fell out of his chair.  
'You remembered the summoned camel, but not your own damn deity?!' he yelled, doubling over with laughter. Nala looked absolutely mortified.  
'Shit! Bahamut, I'm so sorry!'

* * *

It took a while for the group to recover from that. By the time everyone was done laughing (and drinking another round), half of the group was wasted. Especially the elf. If Mialee got up from her seat, she'd probably fall over.

Not that the party noticed. Echo, who was sitting next to her, turned to the ranger with a devious look in her eyes.  
'I know another game that we can play. It's great. We did this in Baldur's Gate all the time. It's called _ring of fire.'_

At the word "fire", both Nala and Ralolamin suddenly piped up. Fire was not a word that you wanted casually flung around a drunken group while inside a very wooden and burnable bar. It was already too late, though. With a drunk, eager smile, Mialee nodded at Echo.  
'Hell, yeah! Whazzit? How'dwe play?'  
'Okay, this is how it goes. We all dip our fingers in alcohol. The first person in the circle sets their fingers on fire, and then you need to pass the flame around. The first person to let the flame go out, loses. I always make it REAL big. What do you say? Want to give it a try?'

By now, Nala as well as Telyn and Ralo were all actively trying to get their attention, but to no avail. Mialee nodded eagerly. And very, VERY drunkenly.  
'Aww, yeah! Lesstry that! Ah, man, I wish I sschtill hadda ring of fire resistanche. Winning woulda' been easy!'

Yorda, who had been patiently watching the exchange, suddenly leaned forward with a tiny smirk on her face.  
'Would you like it back?'  
'What?! No!' Nala yelled. But she was on the other side of the table, and the dragonborn, too, was quite tipsy.  
'Yeaaaah! Give it 'ere.'  
'No, wait-'  
'Sure, I'll lend it to you.'  
'Yorda, don't-!'  
But the pale half-elf had already leaned over the table, that same smirk on her face, and handed the ring over. The ring with a curse on it. A deadly curse that gave you fire resistance, but made you vulnerable to cold, thunder and lightning damage instead. The ring that could not be taken off your finger. Mialee accepted it with a happy, drunken smile –  
and put the ring on.

A fraction of a second later, Nala had pulled Mialee across the table by her finger, pulling as hard on the ring as she could. But it was already too late. The ring was stuck.  
Mialee was cursed again.

In a rare moment of anger, the dragonborn cursed under her breath.  
'Fuck.'


	40. Chapter 5,3 - The Rite of Courage, 1

**Chapter 5.3 – The Rite of Courage, part 1**

 _Guys, I prevented a kidnapping today. If you find a lost child and an adult comes to claim them, always, always, ALWAYS ask them for the kid's full name. He would have walked right out the door with her if I hadn't asked and seen him hesitate. Her actual mother showed up not 30 seconds later, after he'd already run off._

 _DO NOT ASSUME THAT THEY ARE THE KID'S FAMILY if the kid does not visibly move towards them._

 _Anyway. On to the chapter! As always, comments and feedback are appreciated!_

* * *

After the ring incident, the part of the group that was not drunk as a skunk decided to let the evening of drinking come to an end. It was probably for the best. As it were, it already took considerable effort to get Echo, Mialee and Alatar upstairs and in their beds. Nala left Telyn and Yorda to keep an eye on them, wanting to return to her parent's home. That turned into just Telyn on drunk-sitting duty when Yorda randomly vanished as well.

And just one person was not enough. Apparently the Tiefling had gotten it into her head that she needed to take her clothes off and go outside. Echo ended up hanging half-naked from the bedroom window while projectile-vomiting brandy everywhere. Mialee and Alatar were not in a much better state.  
They made quite a first impression on the small village of Arush Vayem.  
Idiots.

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

Nala was on her way home, shaking her head at the usual shenanigans of her friends, when a voice called out to her from the dark.  
'Nala Fennorae. Back again, I see.'

The paladin froze when her mind recognized who that voice belonged to. Her hand traveled to the hilt of her sword. Slowly, she turned around. The second they made eye contact, Nala's previously good mood instantly plummeted to zero.

Before her stood a black dragonborn. In contrast to Nala's sharp, scaly features, this man had a very sleek, almost smooth face. He was wearing dark leather that had almost the exact same colour as his scales, with two sharp daggers resting on the sides of his belt. A forked tongue slit in and out of his maw as the dragonborn sized Nala up and down.  
'What are you doing here?' Nala growled. The black dragonborn raised a single scaly eyebrow.  
'I live here.'  
The paladin wrinkled her nose in disgust.  
'I'm not in the mood to talk to you, Grax.'  
He did not seem phased by her hostile tone at all. With a slight movement of his head, Grax nodded at her parent's house.  
'Are you back for long, gold-scale?'  
'Just for a visit. And it's none of your damn business.'  
And she began to walk away, completely done with the guy. Until her brain registered what he was saying as she walked off.  
'Good. You don't want to stick around for too long.'

For the second time that night, Nala stopped dead in her tracks. She almost doubted her own ears for a moment. Then that doubt was pushed away by suspicion, and anger. He _dared_ threaten her? In her own home? The gold-scaled dragonborn turned around to face Grax a second time – but he had already started walking away from her.

Not on her watch. Nala mumbled under her breath and stepped forward, allowing the Misty Step spell to cross the distance between the two of them instantly. She appeared in front of him, drawing her sword in the process.

And she wasn't the only one. The second Grax saw Nala use magic, he whipped both daggers out as a reflex. That caused Nala to raise her sword even higher. The two dragonborn, gold and black, stared each other down. Both were ready to fight, and neither party backed away even a single inch. The tension was almost tangible.  
After which Grax finally growled:  
'What's the big idea?'  
'Do not think you can threaten me and get away with it, Grax. What are you up to?'  
'Oh, yes,' he snapped back. 'The big bad Black Dragonborn. Always up to no good, eh? Fuck off, Nala.'

Grax gave Nala such a death glare that it almost did damage to her on its own. Slowly, the black dragonborn took a step backwards. When the paladin didn't attack, he lowered his daggers. Grax made a dissatisfied noise. Then he stepped into the mist and vanished in the darkness. Nala was left alone, breathing heavily. It took her a long time to turn around and resume her walk to her parent's house.  
It took her even longer to take her hand off her sword.

* * *

'Why does he still live here?' Nala asked as soon as her parents were close enough to hear her, skipping right past any kind of small talk. She plopped down at their dinner table after putting away her weapon. Her mood had really plummeted. Belgwen and Ravoroth shot each other a sideways glance.  
'Who are you talking about, dear?'  
'You know who I mean. Why are you letting Grax live here? Nothing good can come from it.'  
Her mother let out a sigh, placing a drink by her daughter's hands.  
'We accept people regardless of what they are, Nala. You know that.'  
'I don't like it,' the paladin growled. 'He is dangerous. He just threatened me, for Bahamut's sake! I don't like it. And I don't like what you've told me about the north. The situation is getting too dangerous again. Someone needs to do something before this gets any worse.'

She took a sip of her drink. It was steaming hot – exactly the temperature that she'd liked as a child. They'd remembered that, too. Opposite of her, Nala's mother was fidgeting with her clothes.  
'Now, Nala. We know – we know that you have the heart of an adventurer. And we approve. You know that we approve. But you're right. Lately... it's just too dangerous out there. Especially if what you've told us is true. The roads just aren't safe anymore. And the wilderness never was.'  
'Your mother is right. It's probably best if you stay with family for a while. It's just too dangerous out there.'  
They looked at their daughter with warm eyes – but Nala's jaw was clenched, and she had put her drink back on the table.  
'You know I can't do that.'  
'Nala-'  
'No, dad,' the paladin interrupted him. 'This is what I became a paladin for. You know what I have to do. Even if it is the last thing that I do. I will not sit idly by while things turn as dire as they were before. We did that seventeen years ago, and it resulted in half of our village getting murdered. Too many people died because we didn't resist. I will not allow that to happen again.'  
A dark shadow once again crossed her father's face. Carefully, her mother tried placing her own hands on top of Nala's. They were just a few inches too far apart. But Nala did not put her hands forward.  
'This is why I became a paladin. This is what I trained for. To stop Drahadur. To protect this village from getting hurt again. And I will do what I must, even if it is the last thing I do. You both know that.'  
She leaned forward on the table, making eye contact with both of her parents. Then her gaze softened.  
'You both took care of me for so long. It's time for me to repay that. Now it's my turn to take care of you... to keep you safe.'

Only then did she slide her hands forward, allowing her mother to hold them. A soft snivel escaped Belgwen's lips. But when the two of them made eye contact, it wasn't sadness what Nala saw.  
It was pride.  
'When did my baby girl become such a strong woman?'  
A smile appeared on Nala's face. She gave her mother's hands a short squeeze.  
'Well, she did have parents that raised her right.'

Her parents began to smile, as well. It was the bittersweet smile of sadness combined with pride. They moved around the table and put their arms around her, catching Nala in a hug. There were a lot of unspoken feelings in there... but it felt good.

Eventually, the three of them broke apart. Her father began cleaning up the table, while her mother sat down opposite of her again.  
'You know, we've been thinking of combining Green Day and the Rite of Courage into one event this year. Since we don't know how things will escalate from here on out. The altar may not be there anymore in six months. We're thinking of holding it the day after tomorrow. It's a children's festival, but... if you want, you and your friends could participate? I know Hope and Isaac would be over the moon if you came along.'

That brought back memories. She'd participated as a kid, too. The paladin remembered the excitement of that night, and the scares. It was a fun festival. Her group would like it, too. She nodded at her mother.  
'I'd love to, mom.'

* * *

Not long after that, the gold-skinned dragonborn retired for the night. In her own bedroom. It was exactly as she had left it, and still clean and spotless. Even her plants were well cared-for. The sight brought a smile to her face. Nala laid herself to rest in her own bed, ignoring how small it had gotten. It was comfortable, and familiar. She felt herself drifting off to sleep almost immediately.  
Nala was going to have good dreams tonight.  
There really was no place like home.

* * *

 **None**

* * *

At the very end of the village, inches away from where the forest began, Yorda could be seen calling an owl down from its tree. She did a double-take of her surroundings. Then her eyes began to glow, and she whispered a message of exactly twenty-five words to the creature. The spell activated. With another soft whisper, the owl coasted off into the darkness. Its journey would not be that long.

Yorda nodded to herself, and began to make her way back to the tavern.

* * *

Eventually, morning came.

And it wasn't long before the consequences of last night's shenanigans made themselves known.

'WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?!'  
The group had made their way downstairs for breakfast. Or, the ones that had not been absolutely wasted did. Ralolamin had prepared a wonderful meal of fresh bread and tea for them all. Yorda, Telyn and Alatar were in the middle of their second serving when Mialee, seeing red in the face, came racing down the stairs. She stopped inches away from Yorda's chair. With an angry scowl, the elven ranger waved the cursed ring in her face.  
'WHY DID YOU MAKE ME PUT THIS ON?!'  
'You told me to give it to you,' Yorda replied.  
'YOU DON'T LISTEN TO DRUNK PEOPLE! Now I'm cursed! AGAIN!'  
Alatar, who had been sitting next to Yorda, took the half-elf's side.  
'Don't blame her. We were all drunk. And you were the only one stupid enough to do that. Your actions are your own responsibility.'  
That did not seem to do much to calm her down. Mialee frantically pulled on the ring. Of course, it didn't budge.  
'It's going to take FOREVER to get it back off! Don't ever give this to me again, damn it!'  
'Understood. I won't ever give my ring to you again.'  
Yorda was being strangely distant. She was sipping on her tea, refusing to make eye contact with the brown-haired elf. They were about to call her out on it when Echo, sporting a massive hangover, came staggering downstairs.  
'Nine Hells, keep it the fuck down, will you? What's with all the racket?'  
Mialee angrily showed Echo her hand in response. It took the Tiefling a few seconds to connect the dots.  
'Oooooh... right. That. I thought I dreamt that. Well, fuck.'  
'The inevitable consequence of her own actions,' Alatar shrugged from the other side of the table. He, too, was enjoying a cup of tea. Echo glared at him, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at his lack of a pounding headache.  
'How the fuck are you not hungover?'  
He chuckled, smirking at her.  
'Magic.'  
'Tea with a Lesser Restoration spell in it,' Yorda explained, handing Echo a cup as well. The Tiefling sniffed at it suspiciously, before downing the drink in one go. Almost immediately, her expression cleared up.  
'Wow. That's good stuff.'  
'A family recipe,' Ralolamin smiled at her from behind the counter. 'I used to make this all the time for Nala. I figured you'd need it after the... lively night that you all had.'  
'We definitely did. Thank you, Ralo.'  
'My pleasure.'

They all finished their breakfast, with Mialee still muttering angrily. Eventually the group realized that Nala was not coming to get them. Perhaps she was still asleep? Yorda was the first one to get up to search for her. The rest followed after drinking some more anti-hangover tea, all in various states of sobering up.

She found the dragonborn in the middle of town, sitting under a tree and gazing up at the morning sky. By herself. Nala didn't even seem to notice Yorda approach. It wasn't until the pale half-elf was literally standing over her that she finally made eye contact.  
'Hello.'  
'Oh... hey, Yorda. Don't mind me. I'm just thinking.'  
'Do you want to be alone? Should I leave?'  
The dragonborn shook her head at that.  
'Nah.'

And she fell silent again, turning her gaze back to the sky. Yorda didn't say anything, either. She just plopped down next to Nala and looked up as well. It was a clear day, but there were clouds in the distance. In a few hours, the sun would probably be gone.  
'Things are getting a bit dangerous here.'  
Nala let out an affirmative grunt, but that was it. The half-elf allowed for almost a full minute of silence before speaking up again.  
'What do you want to do?'  
'I... I don't know,' the dragonborn eventually sighed. 'I don't know what to do. I think I want to stay. For a while. And think.'  
'…We can do that.'  
She nodded to Yorda, recalling what her mother had told her the evening before.  
'There's a festival tomorrow. Nothing big. Just something for the kids. They call it the Rite of Courage. You have to gather four offerings from four scary places, and bring them to the altar of Chauntea to complete the rite. They've asked if we want to participate. All of us. Along with the kids. It might be fun.'  
Yorda immediately realized what the dragonborn was really asking for. A smile spread on her face.  
'Okay. We can do that. We'll give you time to think today, and all participate in the rite tomorrow. Will you tell us what you want to do afterwards?'  
'...Yeah.'  
'Then that's what we'll do,' Yorda nodded at her. In the distance, the rest of the group was starting to come into view. They'd waited for Mialee to down a cup of hangover-curing tea, as well. All of them looked a lot better than they did yesterday night.

It was for the best, too. Because tomorrow evening, they'd have a festival to attend.

* * *

 **Mialee**

* * *

That day, everyone split up to their separate business while waiting for the day to end. Mialee decided to brush up on her language skills, and asked Nala for a book written in Draconic. The idea was to learn some words for the next time they'd encounter a dragon. The _real_ idea was to learn as many insults as possible for if they'd run into Venomfang again. Not that Mialee told that to anyone. She stayed inside for a change, studying the book in Ralolamin's tavern.

Alatar was there, too. The wizard was sorely behind in spell scribing and copying. They did not have much downtime on their travels, and so he was in dire need for an afternoon off. When the wizard saw Mialee engrossed in a book of all things, he quizzically raised his eyebrows.  
'Now that's new. Did that cursed ring change your personality, too?'  
The elven ranger scoffed at him.  
'I do know how to read, you know.'  
'Well, you can't blame me. I've never seen you pick up a book even once since I met you. Frankly, I thought you disliked anything that isn't the wilderness or savagely fighting orcs. Especially something as... focused as studying languages.'  
'I did get an actual education in the past,' she replied, her scowl widening. 'Just because my people live in the forest, doesn't mean we don't teach our children about other things.'  
Alatar saw where this was going and quickly put up his hands, saying:  
'I know, I know – I didn't mean that in a bad way. I was just surprised, that's all. Positively. Do you need any help with that book? I'm actually pretty good at deciphering strange languages.'

That caught her by surprise. The two of them rarely interacted – let alone willingly. Mialee slowly looked from Alatar to the book and back, the wheels turning inside of her head. Then she gave the wizard a single nod.  
'...Thanks.'

* * *

 **Telyn**

* * *

On the other side of town, Telyn had found a spot to practice playing her instruments. The weather had slowly turned cloudy, and cold. They were probably going to get some mist and rain tonight. But the bard did not feel like staying cooped up inside. So, she set out by herself, to practice somewhere that would distract as few people as possible. Which, in a teeny tiny hamlet like Arush Vayem, meant **everybody**.

It didn't take long for her performance to start drawing people in. Telyn was a talented bard, and her music was like a magnet to anyone with time to spare. And kids. This time, it was the latter. As she played, the pink-haired bard could see a little boy, maybe eight years old, slowly approach her to watch. He was a cute kid, with wispy blonde hair and round eyes. When the kid got close enough to talk, Telyn called out to him.  
'Hello. Do you like the music?'  
He nodded, eyeing her lute eagerly. The boy seemed to be a bit shy, so Telyn prodded him again.  
'My name is Telyn. I'm a traveling bard, and I like music, too. What's your name?'  
'Isaac,' the kid replied softly. Telyn gave him an encouraging nod.  
'That's a good name. Nice to meet you, Isaac. Do you play an instrument, too?'  
He shook his head, gaze still locked on to the lute. It made Telyn smile.  
'Would you like to try?'

Isaac's eyes lit up like a pair of stars. It was adorable. Telyn stopped playing, stepped aside and held the lute out for him to grab. He did so, after a short moment of hesitation. The thing was way too big for his eight-year-old arms. But Isaac didn't let that stop him. For the next thirty minutes or so, Telyn freelanced her way through a beginner's music lesson. It was fun, too. Isaac had a talent for it. Despite the lute being two sizes too big.

Eventually the pink-haired bard got her instrument back.  
'Thank you,' Isaac said shyly, but now with a big smile on his face.  
'You're very welcome. You're really good for a first-timer, too! Are you sure you don't play any instruments? You're a natural.'  
He giggled.  
'No. Mama can't buy more toys this year. But I had a music box! It was really pretty.'  
'Had? You don't have it anymore?' Telyn replied. The smile vanished off the little boy's face, getting replaced by sadness.  
'No... it disappeared somewhere. I really liked it, too.'

The pink-haired bard felt bad for the kid. It sounded like he didn't have much to play with, so that music box must have been special to him. Arush Vayem wasn't a big village at all. It couldn't have gone far. With some help, they'd probably find it pretty fast. Yes. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, Telyn decided to help little Isaac find his music box.  
'So, where'd you last see it? Did you take it outside to play? Where did it go?'  
'I don't know. But it sounded really nice.'

And he began humming the tune to her. It didn't sound half bad. A bit like your typical bedtime tune, actually. Telyn could imagine the little boy taking it outside, falling asleep with it and accidentally leaving it somewhere on the way home.  
'Are you _sure_ you don't remember where you saw it last?' she tried again. Isaac shook his head. Then his eyes darkened a little, and he broke eye contact with the bard.  
'Well... maybe. But people don't believe me.'  
'I believe you,' Telyn smiled at him. 'I promise.'  
'Pinky promise?'  
'Pinky promise,' she laughed, and reached out with her hand. They shook on it, borrowing the ancient, sacred power of pinky swears. For Telyn, it was amusing. But for some reason Isaac had become dead serious. He kept glancing over his shoulder, as if he was looking for something. As soon as the handshake was finished, he whispered:  
'Have you seen the shadowmen?'  
'What? Shadowmen?'  
His eyes darkened even more. Isaac looked past her, towards the tree line.  
'Oh... okay. I shouldn't tell. They don't know about Mr. Smiles.'

It was probably talk of an imaginary friend, or a story, or play-pretend. But something about the way he said it, paired with his darkened eyes and flighty expression, made all the hairs in the back of Telyn's neck rise up.  
'Who... who is Mr. Smiles?'  
But Isaac shook his head again, stepping away from the pink-haired bard.  
'Thank you for the lesson! I have to go now. Goodbye, sweet lady!'

And he took off. Telyn was left staring at his back as he weaved his way through the houses and vanished from sight. Her desire to play had vanished, as well. The bard frowned, worriedly glancing at the tree line. Over the years, she had learned to trust her instincts. And right now, they were screaming at her.

Something wasn't right.

* * *

 **Echo**

* * *

Back in the tavern, Echo and Yorda had decided on staying in and relaxing for a day. Ralolamin, ever the good host, had provided them with another batch of hangover-curing tea. It was already halfway gone. Echo had a **lot** of leftover alcohol in her system to cure. Yorda had perched up near the window of their shared bedroom, gazing at the incoming clouds and mist as Echo tried to piece together what she remembered of the previous night.  
'I puked out of the tavern window.'  
'True,' Yorda nodded. 'Probably.'  
'Probably? Wasn't it you pulling me inside afterwards and putting me to bed?'  
'No, that was Telyn.'  
'Ooooh. There **was** a lot of colour present, now that you mention it.'  
She took another sip of her tea, her headache fading to the background again. That stuff was working wonders.  
'Alatar was in love with Quelleen.'  
'No, that was Nala.'  
The Tiefling let out a laugh, imagining the size difference between the two.  
'I'm very interested in seeing how that would work. Would she just pick her up when making out? And what would they do in bed? Wouldn't the halfling get crushed?'  
'Quelleen is very strong,' Yorda reminded her. The Tiefling just shook her head, still laughing.  
'That's true. Fuck. I didn't think cheap dwarven brandy would mess me up so much. That ring was a thing, right?'  
'Right.'  
'Yeah, she still has it on. Talk about unwise decisions. Mialee has a bad habit of getting cursed by that thing. But hey – she _does_ have a ring of fire now!'

And she laughed again. Then her gaze traveled to Yorda.  
'I guess you were both pretty drunk, huh?'  
She expected the pale half-elf to laugh and agree. But instead, the druid shook her head.  
'No. I drank water all night.'  
'Ha! Yeah, so you... wait.'

It took a few seconds for that sentence to fully register in Echo's mind. Then her brain caught up to her ears. She slowly put down her cup of tea, narrowing her eyes a little.  
'So, when you handed that ring over to Mialee, you were...'  
'Completely sober,' Yorda replied.  
'Wait... what?'

The pale half-elf had been acting strange all morning. She was still gazing out the window, avoiding eye contact. It was unlike her. A small silence fell as Echo tried to make sense of the situation. Then Yorda turned around, a shrewd expression playing on her face.  
'Do you remember what she said to us before the drinking game?'  
Echo gave her a puzzled look.  
'...No?'  
'She said that she didn't think anyone was interested in her,' the pale-half elf replied, in a much lower tone than normal. 'She said that to _me._ It was quite the insult, don't you think?'  
Yorda looked down, casually examining the nails on her hand.  
'I don't like being insulted.'

Slowly, the full scope of what was going on registered in Echo's mind. Her eyes grew big. The Tiefling's thoughts trailed back to the other night. How eagerly Yorda had handed the ring over. That weird smirk on her face as she did so.  
'Nine Hells. You did it on purpose?'  
That same shrewd look appeared in her eyes again as Yorda took a sip of her tea.  
'I did nothing. The decision to put it on was hers. I just provided the opportunity. But yes. Maybe this will teach her to think about the effects of her actions... and her words.'

For the first time since they'd met, the Tiefling was speechless. Yorda had just showed a side of herself that Echo hadn't even known existed. Out of the blue, too. A good ten seconds of silence fell between them as the dark-haired Tiefling processed events.

Then a low chuckle escaped her lips. Echo leaned forward in her chair, crossed her legs and reached for her tea. She raised her cup to the druid, nodding with a smirk on her face.  
'...Nine hells, Yorda. Well played.'

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

Alatar had eventually gone upstairs to be alone and concentrate on his spell book, which caused Nala to take over as Mialee's Draconic teacher. The elven ranger had a rare moment of extreme focus and ended up studying all day long. Non-stop. Constantly. She actually managed to remember quite a bit, too. The two of them kept at it until almost nightfall.  
'Okay, how about this? _"Hey, Venomfang! ACHUAK GWAR!"  
_ _..._ What'd I say?'  
'You just called him a pear.'  
'What? That's not right.'

By now, the entire sky was cloudy. A low mist began to swirl around the little village of Arush Vayem, greatly reducing visibility. That would get even worse after dark. As Nala looked at the setting sun, her attention was caught by a little Tiefling girl on the other side of the room. Hope had entered the tavern a while ago. She was talking with Ralolamin – but the little Tiefling kept throwing glances her way every few seconds.

Eventually, Hope seemed to be tired of waiting. She jumped off her bar stool, glass of milk in hand, and made her way over to Nala's table.  
'Hi, Nala!'  
'Hello, Hope,' the dragonborn smiled at her. 'Are you excited for tomorrow?'  
'Calista said that you're going to participate, too! Is it true?!'  
'It's true,' Nala nodded. The little Tiefling let out a squeal of delight.  
'Really?! AWESOME! Everyone else already did it last time, so I thought it was just gonna' be me and Isaac. Now it'll be WAY more fun! Oh, but don't spoil anything!'  
'Cross my heart I won't,' Nala laughed. Hope did a quick double-take. Then she got a bit closer, and began whispering to Nala like a little conspirator.  
'Don't tell anyone, but I already know it's not real. It's just the adults scaring everyone. But I didn't tell Isaac, so it can be new for him! So don't tell anybody!'  
She seemed giddy with anticipation. It made Nala chuckle.  
'How is Isaac? I haven't seen him yet.'  
Hope's expression fell. A tiny frown crept on her face, followed by frustration.  
'He's been acting REAL weird. He keeps telling people his music box is gone, and looking at me. I didn't take it, I swear! I don't want the stupid thing!'  
' _Did_ you take it?' Nala asked, in a playful tone. Hope huffed, stomping her little foot on the ground in a tiny tantrum.  
'No! I have my own toys. He's just being weird. Mumbling to himself and saying things like "can't you see them?" and pointing behind me, even though there's never anything there, like he's talking about ghosts and- wait..."  
She furrowed her brow, her face pulling into a frown again. For a second, Hope seemed deep in thought. Then that moment ended, and the little Tiefling stomped her foot on the ground in anger again.  
'That little PUNK! He's trying to scare me for the test! I'LL CLOBBER HIM! ISAAC, YOU LITTLE SHIT!'

And she turned around on her heels, ready to storm outside and strangle her friend. Nala stopped her at the last second. That did not sound like Isaac at all. Something about Hope's words bothered Nala... but she couldn't put her finger on it. The dragonborn threw a glance outside. At the thickening mist, amplified by the setting darkness. It was almost impossible to see anything. Their village was safe. But after the events that had led her group to come here, Nala was a bit jumpy.

'Actually- how about I walk you home, Hope?'

* * *

 **None**

* * *

'I think Nala just left,' Yorda said, glancing down from her spot near the windowsill. Echo just shrugged.  
'Eh. She's probably going back to her parents.'  
'They are nice people,' Yorda thought out loud. 'Ralolamin, too. It would be nice if they don't get caught up in a war. But I don't understand why they don't leave.'  
'You've seen the majority of this village,' Echo shrugged at her. 'Tieflings are treated with suspicion no matter where they are. And this many of them together can only spell disaster. Especially if they leave for some city. It's a miracle that they've been able to peacefully live here for so long. Prejudice is always a problem.'

They'd had a conversation about this particular topic in the past, with Echo having to explain to Yorda exactly why she was getting so many looks and stares wherever they went. It wasn't just because of the horns. It was because of the assumption of evil being hereditary. Many folks in cities and rural villages alike believed that Tieflings were as malefic and dangerous as their Fiendish ancestors. That it was in their blood.  
'Even in Neverwinter?'  
'Even in Neverwinter. The guards that arrested us back then immediately assumed that I was guilty, just because I'm a Tiefling. Many people are just like that. They all have that same prejudiced look in their eyes. Stupid idiots. I can imagine this village not wanting to go back to that. It sucks.'  
She grinned, throwing a grape at Yorda.  
'I'm glad that you don't have that stupid look. It's a nice change. It was weird to get used to, though. But I like it. Traveling with you all isn't so bad.'  
'I like traveling with you, too,' the pale half-elf smiled back, accepting the compliment. Then a small frown spread on her face. She turned away from the window and moved towards where Echo was.  
'That reminds me. Do you remember what you said to me on the Dolphin Bridge? Back in Neverwinter?'  
The dark-haired Tiefling gave her a puzzled look.  
'...No?'  
Yorda chuckled. It was the exact same response as the one from a few hours ago.  
'It was right after the House of Knowledge. After you all came back out looking like you saw a ghost. Nala was pale, but you were pretty pale, too.'  
'Oh... yeah. I remember that,' the Tiefling nodded. 'That place was fucking terrifying. The whole situation was terrifying, actually. And I still don't know what's up with that fucking spot on my hip.'  
'We'll find out eventually,' Yorda replied. Echo could only shrug at her.  
'I sure hope so. So, what about it? I'm not apologizing for keeping it from you all on the bridge. I didn't know you that well yet. For all I knew you could be a bunch of weirdos. … I mean, you are, but that's beside the point.'  
'I know,' the pale half-elf chuckled, then went back to being serious. 'But do you remember? You told me to give you space. But you also told me something else. You told me not to leave you.'  
The pale half-elf cocked her head, sitting down next to Echo on the bed.  
'Do you really not want me to leave?'  
'Of course not,' Echo replied with a huff. 'I just said so, didn't I? Having you around works great for my survival chances. Plus, I like traveling with you. So, no. I don't want you to leave.'  
And she shrugged at Yorda, throwing another grape at her. The pale half-elf ignored it.  
'All right. I can be there for you, if you want.'

A small, barely visible grin spread on Yorda's face. She leaned forward, closing the distance between the two of them. When she spoke, her voice had once again changed from how it normally sounded.  
'On one condition. I want you to make me a promise. I've never done this before, so you'll be the first, but... it's a very easy promise. I'll be there for you, and keep you safe to the best of my ability. I'll watch over you.  
In return... when the time comes, I want you to come with me.'

And she put her hand out, holding it open for Echo to take. There was a strange, eager glimmer in her eyes. Echo did not notice it. The Tiefling barely let a second go by before saying:  
'Okay!'  
And reached out for Yorda's hand. That actually startled the little druid. She frowned, pulling her hand back a bit.  
'...Echo, this is not an empty promise. Are you sure? You can think about it.'  
The Tiefling merely shrugged at her.  
'I did. It sounds like a pretty good deal to me. So, okay!'

And she grabbed hold of Yorda's hand.

The second she did so, a surge of warmth rushed from Yorda to Echo. It rapidly spread through her entire body, starting in her fingertips and working all the way down to her toes. The sensation wasn't unpleasant. It startled the Tiefling a little, but before she could really react to it, the warmth had already started fading away. Echo blinked, studying her hand curiously.  
'Huh. Interesting. We should make promises more often.'

The glowing half-elf let out a low chuckle, shaking her head at her.

* * *

 **Nala**

* * *

After escorting Hope home, the gold-scaled dragonborn found herself running into Telyn. Literally. The mist was so thick by now that they didn't see each other until they were mere feet apart, with Telyn rounding a corner in a sprint -and crashing right into Nala.  
'Ow!'  
'OW!'  
'Wha- Telyn?'  
'Nala!? What are you doing here?'  
'What do you- I live here! What are _you_ doing here? And why are you running?'  
The pink-haired bard looked nervous, and very on edge. Maybe the mist had her spooked?  
'Whoa, Telyn. Calm down. What's going on?'  
Something _definitely_ had her spooked. Telyn nervously looked over her shoulder before talking.  
'I was teaching this little boy how to play the lute-'  
'Oh, Isaac? How was he? Hope said something about him mumbling to himself and missing a-'  
'Music box,' Telyn finished her sentence. 'He's missing his music box, and he keeps saying that the shadowmen took it. The kid looked right past me to the trees, as if there was something there. Multiple times. His eyes turned _really_ dark. And then he ran off.'  
Telyn nervously glanced behind her again.  
'Ever since then, I've had this feeling in the back of my neck- like I'm being watched by someone. Something doesn't feel right. It's giving me the creeps.'

The day before the Rite of Courage was meant for the kids to build up tension for the event, and so them getting scared in advance wasn't strange. But there was something in the way Telyn said it that got to Nala. Isaac was a good kid. He didn't like scary things. And he wouldn't try to purposely spook others, like what Hope was accusing him of. If you paired that with the encounter between her and Grax the other day...

The pink-haired bard was right. Something was going on here.

'Come on,' Nala said. 'We're going back to the inn. Something isn't right, and we need to let the others know.'  
Telyn nodded, and trailed closely behind her as the two of them started to make their way back. Under normal circumstances, making it to the other side of town didn't even take a minute. But by now the mist had become so thick that it was impossible to see more than 5 feet ahead of them. Nala and Telyn were forced to move at a slow shuffle-like pace, going from lantern to lantern in order to not lose their bearings. Even Nala, who had grown up here, was having difficulty finding her way. Considerable difficulty. Much more than she should have had.  
Almost like something was disorienting them on purpose.

They stopped moving.  
'...Nala? I think-'

The dragonborn put up her hand to silence the bard. She felt it, too. A tingly feeling in the back of her neck. Something was watching them. Slowly, painfully slowly, Nala reached for the hilt of her sword.

And a soft music drifted into her ears. It was a pleasant tune, like what you hummed to children at bedtime. But the circumstances instantly turned it into something haunting. Nala couldn't tell where it was coming from. The music seemed to change directions, trailing around them like the late evening mist. Nala quickly glanced toward Telyn. Her suspicions were confirmed immediately. The pink-haired bard had turned a ghostly pale, her eyes wide and terrified. Nala did not have to ask. She already knew the answer.  
That melody-  
That was the same melody as Isaac's music box.

'Show yourself!' Nala yelled at the surrounding darkness, hand still on her sword. By now, all of her senses were on high alert. She was in inch away from clicking into combat-mode. But nobody stepped forward. No villager jumped out to yell "got you!" and congratulate themselves on a successful prank. No familiar voices were laughing. Only the mist swirled around them, accompanied by that haunting music.

Nothing came out.

Until something did. As Nala and Telyn watched, standing back-to-back, something moved in the darkness. Towards them. Slowly, a figure became visible. But there were no footsteps. It approached like a ghost, making not a single sound. Shadows trailed where legs should have been. A dark, smiling visage came into view, drawing closer. They watched, frozen in place, as it bared its razor sharp teeth at them in a horrifying grin-

And vanished.

The music stopped.

And all of the lanterns went out, leaving them in complete and utter darkness.


End file.
